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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
The latest idea to help horse racing connect with a new audience would allow off-track betting in some bars and restaurants far away from the racetrack.
The pending bill would permit a limited number of bars and restaurants in northern New Jersey. The measure will be heard by the Senate and Assembly on Thursday.
The proposed new facilities would be in addition to the off-track betting parlors being established in New Jersey. According to an Associated Press report on 7online.com, bill sponsor Assemblyman John Burzichelli said the measure would “allow racing to find a new audience."
State law allows for 15 off-track parlors, but the only ones currently in operation are in Woodbridge, Toms River, and Vineland. Startup costs for the off-track facilities are said to range from $4 million to $12 million, but terminals in bars and restaurants can be installed much cheaper.
According to the Daily Record, Leo McNamara, executive administrator of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, said setting the operation up would probably mean about a $20,000 to $25,000 investment for a restaurant.
Las Vegas Business Press reports that a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll is split evenly among voters over legalizing betting on professional and college sports. The referendum to approve sports betting in New Jersey passed by about a 2 to 1 margin in November.
The bill was changed in December to not allow residents to place bets from their cellphones or home computers. Nationwide, voters in the Fairleigh Dickinson poll are against gambling on the Internet by a margin of 60 percent to 28 percent.
