Legislative Updates Fall 2000

Boston: State lawmakers adjourned for the year July 31 without taking action on a comprehensive piece of legislation that would have benefited the state's two dog tracks — Wonderland and Raynhan/Taunton. The major proposals of House Bill 5340 would have: (1) dedicated up to $3 million in state funds to increase payouts to kennel owners; (2) legalized telephone-account wagering; and (3) allowed dog track owners to offer increased horse racing simulcasts. The 46-page bill was drafted by a special blue-ribbon committee appointed by the governor last December to study the entire racing industry.
A hearing on HB 5340 was held July 17 before the Joint Committee on Government Regulations. Supporters of the ballot initiative to outlaw dog racing testified at the hearing and urged lawmakers to hold off on any action until the voters have a chance to decide. Grey2K Deputy Director Carey Theil said, "We feel it's irresponsible for the Legislature to consider a taxpayer bailout of the Massachusetts dog track owners when there's a good chance that this industry will not exist in the Commonwealth after November."
Perhaps most importantly of all, the doomed bill also included provisions to extend the law authorizing simulcasting beyond its sunset (expiration) date of Dec. 31, 2000. The law is currently operating under a one-year temporary extension and another extension appears unlikely. After the bill died in committee, state Rep. Daniel Bosley said, "People in the legislature are very frustrated with all this. Not passing this bill was crazy."
"If they thought last year was bad, this is the point of no return," said state Rep. David Flynn (D-Bridgewater). Some industry observers say they doubt the tracks could survive the loss of simulcasting, which makes up more than half of the revenues at each of the state's greyhound and thoroughbred racetracks. "The industry goes away as of Dec. 31 as far as I'm concerned," said George Camey, owner of Raynham/Taunton Greyhound Park. Simulcasting accounted for 54 percent of the Raynham track's handle.
Charles Sarkis, owner of the Wonderland track, said, "It's very bad news," but he added, "We can survive." Based on the numbers, survival seems questionable at best. Wonderland's live racing handle in 1990 was $195.4 million; by 1999 the live handle had dropped to $25.3 million. Simulcast wagering accounted for 78 percent of Wonderland's 1999 total combined handle of $155.6 million.
Meanwhile, Carney and Sarkis ended a decades-long feud to mount ajoint effort to defeat the initiative. "Our differences are all behind us," Sarkis told The Boston Herald July 18. "Survival is a wonderful instinct. We have a common enemy."
The Wonderland and Raynham/Taunton dog track owners are gearing up to spend $3 million — triple what they had originally planned — to launch an advertising blitz to defeat the initiative. Sarkis said such a big ad campaign is needed because the Grey2K campaign threatens to shut them down. "It is very serious," Sarkis said. "We have to spend a fortune."
Greyhound activists criticized the track owners for seeking state aid while poised to spend millions of dollars on campaign ads. "It sounds odd to me that the owners of the dog tracks are seeking millions of dollars in taxpayer handouts at the same time they are planning a multimillion-dollar media campaign against us," Theil said.
In early September Carney and Sarkis hired Washington political consultant Glenn Totten to help them fight the ballot initiative. "We will get our message out using every delivery system we can," Totten said.
Grey2K's Director David Vaughn, referring to the money Sarkis and Carney propose to spend to defeat the campaign to end dog racing in the Bay State, said he thinks his side can win with less. But, he added, Grey2K needs to raise an additional $150,000 in the final weeks of the campaign for critical television spots. Vaughn said a professional poll conducted in September showed that Grey2K had a IO-point lead. "We can win by a healthy margin, but only if we can buy enough television time to get our message out."

[A new law in Massachusetts allows Grey2K to accept credit card donations on their website: www.grey2k.org — Ed.]

Sources: The Boston Globe: Michael Jonas
The Boston Herald: Scott Van Voorhis
The Boston Phoenix: Chris Wright
State House News Service:
Elizabeth Beardsley