Deadline set for proposals to run state racing franchise

The six corporations vying for the right to operate the state”™s lucrative racing franchise will lay out their proposals during public forums early next month.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer set aside April 10 and 11 for the presentation of proposals. A time and place for the public forums has not yet been determined, Spitzer”™s spokesman Paul Larrabee said last week.

Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting, based in Pomona, Rockland County, is one of six entities seeking to operate the state”™s three largest thoroughbred racetracks: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island; and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. The others are Thoroughbred Racing-NY, a group headed by Las Vegas real estate mogul Steve Wynn, Empire Racing, Excelsior, Capital Play and the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the nonprofit group that currently operates the three facilities.

Catskill OTB President Donald Groth said his proposal would seek to run the state”™s racing franchise as a public-benefit corporation, and return a portion of its revenues to local governments.

Spitzer also said he has directed the state inspector general to conduct a mandatory integrity review of each entity and its principals seeking to be the operator. The inspector”™s review may include data searches, interviews and other examinations of the records and backgrounds of the individuals, according to Spitzer”™s office.

On Feb. 28, Spitzer announced he would convene a panel to publicly evaluate proposals from any entity interested in operating the state-owned racetracks.

Before the governor”™s call for more proposals, an ad hoc committee of the state Racing and Wagering Board examined proposals from NYRA, Empire Racing and Excelsior.

Excelsior, led by New York Yankees executive Steve Swindal, was the preferred bidder of the ad hoc committee.

However, a new panel created by Spitzer will review all six applications in April.

NYRA”™s franchise expires on Dec. 31, 2007. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November, citing at the time that the New York State Lottery Division”™s failure to approve the installation of video-lottery terminal machines at Aqueduct Racetrack pushed it to insolvency. NYRA has operated the tracks since 1955.