Crist: NYRA response to overcharging error falls short
The Daily Racing Form's Steven Crist gives his take on the "takeout fiasco" plaguing the New York Racing Association. Crist says the solution presented so far appears rather shallow:
"This is a makeup, however, not the sort of forward-thinking takeout reform NYRA portrayed it as when it first addressed the issue with a press release misleadingly titled “NYRA Announces Takeout Reduction.” This was a little bit like someone being fined and sentenced to perform community service and then announcing that he has decided to take a more active role in community affairs..."
"The new Aqueduct racino is providing NYRA with as much as $100 million a year for purses and capital improvements, and some slice of that should be redirected to the public in the form of lower takeout. NYRA can finally afford it, and the crumbling of the state’s OTB system removes a major impediment to enacting it."
"A short-term remedy to an error should not be mistaken for long-term reform."
