VLTs to Belmont?
 

Interesting; when I worked for NY State at Belmont, we were always told that the facility straddled the Queens/Nassau county line. I would have thought the west end of the grandstand would be in Queens, for sure.

Anyway, the NIMBY's have yet to be heard from - Queens Village and Bellerose might go along, but Floral Park and Elmont not so much.

I predict it will wind up in Plainview (Nassau Downs, expanded as necessary) or Hempstead (new facility).

I have mixed feelings about the OTBs, VLTs in general, and putting them in Belmont.

The property does straddle the border but I don't think the main building does.

I am so disappointed they are putting a casino in Belmont. It will all change. These casinos in the end do not want to help racing at all. It's lost money for them. They just wanted to get their foot in the door and racing let it happen. They just want to fleece the public out of more of their money with casinos going up everywhere now. Now Belmont after they already got Aqueduct. :ThmbDown: :(

I detest, with a passion the racino at Aqu. :ThmbUp:

Me too. It ruined Aqueduct and another racing grandstand for me. I don't need to see $10,000 maiden claimers running for $60,000 because a casino hasto pitch in for now. It's going to be short lived and Aqueduct will be gone. Casinos are going to rule and cut the unwanted fat soon.

I'm just so sad it seems Belmont might be going the same way. I can see there being NO one in the grandstand for the races in a few short years. :(

I used to be a 3rd floor Grandstand Guy for 25 plus years at Bel. No more.

I don't like to be alone. :(

Me either, but I still do go many days during the summer if no one I know is going. It's sad. Such a great sport and grandstand and it's gone to waste with people staying away more and more.
Admission, parking ,food prices or the "hey, stay at home and bet on the internet" ads. Sad.

According to Newsday...

"The village board has hired Beveridge & Diamond, a Manhattan law firm, to block the project"

:jump:

yep this plan will work, Nassau OTB will run their slots at Belmont :)

I am sure that NYRA will be thrilled with this deal, can't see how they or the state would allow it, NY could have authorized slots at Belmont if they wanted too.

Fact is, few people anymore bet racing for companionship, and the old geezers who love OTB will soon be attending the great OTB in the sky.

The internet has changed everything...

Sadly the track does not make it welcoming anymore to attend. Parking fee, entrance fee, high food and beer/liquor prices. OTB is cheaper to go to or just stay at home and bet through NYRA, is what the ads say even at the track. Stinks the track itself and going to it is dying. I'm sure the casino loves this though.

My father used to go for years and get a Summer entry pass but they got rid of the senior discount and the Belmont/Saratoga pass keeps going up in price so he said, I'm done. Sad.

That was definitely true for $10 bettors and less at NYCOTB. The amount of surcharge some people were paying at OTB was way less than the cost of going to the track. People intuitively knew that even if they weren't the type of person that would calculate it.

I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish. But I'd like to see what would happen in they reversed that dynamic. I generally like the on track experience, but if you gave me rebates for on track bets only that exceeded what I could get off track (call it an extra 1%-2%), you could get me to go more often. That would probably be true of many others also.

That might accomplish two things.

1. It would effectively lower the take and test if that increased handle overall

2. It would encourage on track attendance.

I don't know how hard it is to implement things like rebate changes compared to broad "take" changes, but if it's easier it's an experiment that might shake things up a little. As it is now, there's no reason to go to the track unless it just happens to be a beautiful say or there's a big race you want to see live. You can put all your bets in from anywhere.

VLT'S AT BELMONT
 

SO, DOES THIS MEAN BELMONT WILL BE INSTALLING HEAT
AND ENCLOSING THE GRANDSTAND?

CAN'T BELIEVE THE PUBLIC WILL BE RUNNING TO PLAY THE
VLTS AND FREEZE WHILE DUMPING IN NICKLES AND QUARTERS INTO
THE MACHINES.

THAT SAID THIS WOULD BE AN INSULT TO THE REGULAR RACING FANS
WHO OFFERED THIS OPINION FOR YEARS.


fINALLY: WILL THE BIG A CLOSE IF
THE ABOVE SCENARIO OCCURS..

:eek: :eek: :eek:

So if Aqueduct closes Belmont couldn't handle the 9 month a year racing schedule?