Beyer: New York racing’s imminent takeover by the state is cause for worry
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The suggestion that New York politicians will clean up horse racing corruption ought to sound like a joke to anyone familiar with the state’s history. When off-track betting in the state was legalized in the 1970s and placed under the control of various regional political entities, it became a cesspool of political patronage and mismanagement. New York City Off-Track Betting accomplished the feat of going broke running a business in which losing money was almost impossible.
When the state legislature passed the law authorizing a casino at Aqueduct, the process of awarding the franchise took 10 years and was marred by so much influence-peddling that the Inspector General described it as “a veritable case study in dysfunctional and politically driven government.”
People involved in New York racing have ample reason to be worried about what will happen when the state takes control. And because New York is the center of the sport in the United States, the nation’s thoroughbred industry ought to be worried, too.