Fee impasse threatening signal distribution (UPDATE: Deal in place)

[jnunan4759]

I heard they were talking about 2 weeks ago and people at the OTB were ready for something to happen, then nothing. It's really hammered the service employees and business is off 60-70%. Feel bad for the bartenders, waitstaff and tellers. They have cut back hours and laid off some tellers. Most bartenders and waitstaff are making 50% less than the did before 12/9/2014. They ran into that right before Christmas also, which is especially nasty. To me, they're the losers in this.

The winner is probably TVG, which many in Philly can use because of Harrah's, PAbets. Although some people won't use an ADW, guess the are off the grid.

[asudevil]

Nevada and NYRA just reached a deal....still dark with 7 Monarch tracks. Can't imagine no wagering on Gulfstream here this weekend!

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by asudevil

Nevada and NYRA just reached a deal....still dark with 7 Monarch tracks. Can't imagine no wagering on Gulfstream here this weekend!

Originally Posted by joeydb

Any updates on this?

Monarch & HRTV President Scott Daruty on ATR at 9:30 with HRTV as main topic, but signal talks will come up of course. He said late last night that Vegas deal will be finalized this morning.

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Monarch & HRTV President Scott Daruty on ATR at 9:30 with HRTV as main topic, but signal talks will come up of course. He said late last night that Vegas deal will be finalized this morning.

Still dark on our end.

[jnunan4759]

Very informative interview today with Steve and Scott Daruty. After listening to him speak several times now, I really get a feeling that he is doing the best he can to resolve this. To see that PNG is the obstacle is no surprise to me.

I could say a lot more on that, but won't. However, I will say that nobody has taken more from horse racing and given less back. Remember it's Penn National Gaming, not Penn National Racing.

[asudevil]

Nevada signal back tomorrow while they still work on the "deal." Way too much handle at Santa Anita to forego dark days.

[Kasept]

http://www.drf.com/news/mid-atlantic...al-nearly-done

Mid-Atlantic tracks hit obstacle after deal nearly done
By Matt Hegarty

A cooperative of racetracks and the company controlling the simulcast signals to Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park have agreed to the main pricing aspects of a new simulcast contract, but approval of the pact is being held up by a related issue affecting one of the cooperative’s members, Rosecroft Raceway, according to officials for both sides.

The Mid-Atlantic Cooperative, which represents 23 racetracks and simulcast sites in a smattering of states, and Monarch Content Management, a company owned by the Stronach Group, have been locked in a stalemate over a new simulcasting contract since late last October. According to the officials, the talks produced an agreement over new simulcast rates two weeks ago, but since then, the issue with Rosecroft has forced the two sides to dig in their heels once again.

“We got to economic terms that seemed acceptable a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve reached an issue that is beyond our authority to resolve,” said Phil O’Hara, the executive director of the cooperative, on Friday afternoon.

According to Scott Daruty, the president of Monarch, the situation has arisen because Rosecroft, a harness track, is in pending arbitration with the Stronach Group’s Maryland Jockey Club, the owner and operator of Laurel Park and Pimlico, over the distribution of simulcast revenues to harness and Thoroughbred interests in the state.

Monarch has argued that the arbitration would trigger a clause in the contract allowing the group to negotiate new terms with Rosecroft, depending on how the arbitration is resolved, Daruty said. As a result, Monarch has told the Mid-Atlantic cooperative that it would sign a deal if Rosecroft were excluded, but the Mid-Atlantic has countered that the agreement must include all of its members or none.

Since the dispute arose last year, the members of the cooperative have not offered any simulcast signals from the Stronach Group tracks and several other racetracks, including Tampa Bay Downs. Cooperative members include sites in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, and several other states.