-- Bob Marks and Courtney Stafford, SBOANJ
MANALAPAN, NJ – August 5, 2016 – New Jersey residents
have an important decision to make on November 8, 2016. Earlier this year the
State Legislature approved placing a constitutional amendment on November’s
ballot that would expand gaming to northern New Jersey. If New Jersey voters approve gaming
expansion, billions of dollars can be recaptured, thousands of jobs can be
created, and all the while reviving the equine industry as well as preserving
the vital open space areas especially in hugely agricultural Monmouth
County. According to Al Ochsner,
Executive Administrator of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of
New Jersey located in Manalapan, Monmouth County, “76% of those polled admitted
they knew little or nothing about the ramifications of the referendum issue and
just how the expansion of Casino gaming from embattled Atlantic City would
benefit the open space preservation program.”
Mark Ford, President of the New Jersey Standardbred
Breeders and Owners Association explained that
“The Meadowlands, once the world capitol of harness racing is no longer
able to compete on an equal basis with racetracks in neighboring states in
terms of purse offerings even though The Meadowlands totally outdistances those
tracks in attendance and betting handle but in this the Racino Age, it’s still
not enough”
The once thriving horse racing industry in New Jersey has
fallen on hard times with neighboring states like Maryland, Delaware,
Pennsylvania, and New York all having acquired casino gaming at their
racetracks. At one point, the Upper
Freehold area of Monmouth County was a replica of the famed Bluegrass Region in
Kentucky with horse farms that attracted international commerce and tourism to
the area especially during the
Haskell- Hambletonian festival week at Monmouth Racetrack
and The Meadowlands.
It is difficult for New Jersey to compete with purse
structures of those racetracks with casino gaming. In the past six years alone total racing
purses for horse racing have dropped nearly 50%. Despite the declining trend New Jersey horse
racing still supports over 14,000 jobs although a significant number of jobs
have been lost due to New Jersey’s inability to compete on a level field with
the neighboring casino states. Gaming
expansion will put New Jersey back in contention with neighboring states.
Should the casino expansion referendum fail, more than
just the equine industry as a whole will suffer further. According to Dr. Karen Malinowski, Director
of the Rutgers Equine Science Center, “The high level of veterinary, farrier
and feed and supply stores that New Jersey horse owners have available will
dwindle, because the primary economic flow to these businesses is the racing industry. A percentage of the pari-mutuel handle from racing is allocated but not
limited to the following entities: Horse Park of New Jersey, the New Jersey
Equine Advisory Board and 4-H Youth Development programs. Thus there will be no allocated money for
these programs and there will be little incentive for young people to enter
what was a thriving field of endeavor”
Anthony Perretti, Chairman of Trot Pac, New Jersey’s
Political Action Committee illustrated how “the Rutgers Equine Science Center
report valued the annual economic impact of the equine industry to the State Of
New Jersey at $1.1billion- much of which would be lost if the November
referendum fails to pass.”
New Jersey’s open space and additional agricultural
industries receive major contributions from the equine industry. If the referendum fails, the equine industry
will fail resulting in a major rise of development and congestion and further
decline to our precious in open space areas.
It is imperative for the sake of our Garden State that
New Jersey residents vote “YES” to the casino expansion referendum this
November.
For more information visit trotpac.org, TrotPAC created
the attached commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OBACbh_W_s&feature=youtu.be
