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Why didn't you post the full editorial Hush?
Here's the whole story:Thank you, Supreme Court of the United States.Because with Monday’s ruling that the antiquated Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is unconstitutional, you literally saved an industry in New Jersey that employs more than 13,000 people in jobs relating to it, accounts for well over $1 billion in positive economic impact, and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of acres of open space.Because you provided the assistance that no one in New Jersey was willing to, with former Gov. Chris Christie and the legislature in Trenton having effectively abandoned horse racing in favor of Atlantic City casinos. And by doing so, pushed the state’s thoroughbred racing and breeding industry to the brink of extinction, or survival at a level so low it would have been unable to sustain itself for much longer.Because for Monmouth Park, the hub of the state’s thoroughbred industry, it could mean as much as $50 million in the early stages of sports betting, to be split with William Hill, the British betting company that is its partner on sports betting.And what that could mean are raises for the employees and union workers who took a 20 percent pay cut in 2012 just to keep the track open, and haven’t had a raise since, after Christie decided to privatize the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, taking way Monmouth Park’s $17-million subsidy from the Atlantic City casinos that helped decimate the racing industry over a 40-year period.It is expected to result in better purse money for the horsemen, with the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Dennis Drazin, the president and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates the track, stepping up to lease the facility, which Christie threatened to close, from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. And that trickles down to so many nameless employees trying to squeeze out a living in a very tough businesses, from hot walkers and exercise riders to blacksmiths and farm managers.It means that the once proud track will be able to pay its bills, which has become increasingly difficult as it struggles to compete on an unlevel playing field, with every other race track in the region benefiting from money from associated casino gaming operations to supplement purses and operations.It means the thoroughbred breeding industry, with less than 100 foals last year, could get the financial shot in the arm it needs to reverse the trend, and that the farms that haven’t already been sold to developers have a chance to survive.The racing industry in New Jersey was never looking for a handout, just a helping hand for local families working in an industry faced with extinction thanks to the rising tide of competition from neighboring states.This is an economic engine the state needs in general, as property taxes continue to soar and longtime residents flee for less expensive states. And for racing specifically, it’s a lifeline that simply wasn’t coming locally.So thank you Supreme Court. New Jersey residents asked for this at the ballot box in 2011. And now, while this helps any number of interests in the state, your ruling literally saves an entire, incredibly important industry.Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press columnist: sedelson@gannettnj.com; @SteveEdelsonAPP
Isn't that what it has all been about with Jeff Gural? He has plenty of money, so it cant be just about that. It has to be about his legacy, that he saved the whole sport of harness racing. Don't worry that Pa. Ohio, Indiana. Mass and most of New York don't care what he does or says. It is all about his ego, and that he gets more props than anyone else.
He should rename it Obsession Downs after all you guys who seem to be obsessed with him.
Really? That's not what he seems to be saying here. Hush on top of things as usual. SMHhttps://harnessracingupdate.com/2018/05/18/gural-bullish-on-sports-betting/
