According to a story posted Wednesday on Albany Times UnionThe website of two New York state legislators is set to introduce a bill that would cut off much of the money New York car races make every year from the profits of slot machines or video lottery terminals. (VLT).
The proposed bill calls for the transfer of $230 million annually to horse racing and redistribute it to schools, human services and other sectors.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the law has yet to be officially enacted.
While the passage of such a bill could be seen as a permanent bill, it has the potential to have devastating effects on New York’s racing and livestock industries. Currently, about $100 million, or 60% of the total annual payments at New York Racing Association tracks, come from VLTs.
The bill was sponsored by Senators Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat from Brooklyn, and Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan.
Rosenthal told the Times Union: “The state has supported the industry for decades and there is no reason for that to continue, especially when we need the money the state has provided to the industry, ‘ Rosenthal told the Times Union.
Rosenthal and Myrie have the support of animal rights groups, including NYCLASS, which have spearheaded efforts to ban equine lobbies in New York City.
The group’s account tweeted Wednesday: “The new law will redirect $230 million in annual issuances to the equine industry and invest in our community. Thanks to Senator @zellnor + AM @LindaBRosenthal for working to end this shocking corporate benefit to an abusive industry. ”
The New York Racing Association was quick to denounce the effort on Wednesday.
“NYRA will strongly oppose this legislation to protect jobs for working families, preserve the equestrian economy and ensure the sport’s success now and into the future.” NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna said in a statement. “Race support payments are not subsidies. Payments from VLT revenues made to Industry are purely due in part to the NYRA’s transfer of land and other intellectual property to the state in 2008, and having acted as asset manager. production in the years since. VLT payments are compensation for the transaction, not an allowance. These payments help strengthen the sport’s ability to serve as an economic engine – especially to support the tourism and hospitality industries, which have been significantly damaged by the COVID crisis.
“NYRA looks forward to the opportunity to engage New Yorkers and legislators in a real-life conversation about the huge industry connected to horse racing across the state. This is precisely why NYRA joins We Are NY Racing, the diversity alliance launched in September to support horse racing. ”
McKenna went on to label animal rights activists extremists.
“Organizations like NYCLASS, PETA and Horseracing Wrongs have long been philosophically opposed and have made no secret of their desire to end the sport,” he said. “This radical agenda will deprive working families of jobs and opportunities and will negatively impact unions and hourly workers at the worst possible time. Instead of rational public policy disagreement, these groups are only concerned with how best to damage horse racing in order to further their political agenda. These groups are completely out of touch with the concerns of working families in New York, and they cannot be trusted.”
Joe Appelbaum, president of the New York Thoroughbred Riders Association, signaled that he was ready for a fight.
“We will vigorously defend that the money has reached our location,” he said. “I will not go to your kitchen and use your kitchen without compensating you. I will? We’ve encountered these challenges and attacks on our additional funding before. We plan to meet them with a complete educational process with our alliance partners We Are NY Racing. This is not the first time someone has tried this. “
