I drove in new years day to enjoy afternoon at simulcast at Hiawatha only to find it shut down? No warning or advance notice whatsoever as I was there the afternoon before and business as usual!?.I never saw a posting or given any idea there was a dispute in the works with possible closure next day?I am sure the rest of the patrons there that day felt the same.

I of course find out as well that my HPI account also is not active because I am in the "Hiawatha" jursidiction?.....

Major changes need to be addressed so that this never happens again to "any" HPI account holder.If the OHHA has disputes with individual tracks, so be it,don`t shut down the independent gambler. I for one just might not return,I drove in to track most of the time to wager for years and have HPI account for convienience which does get used but if HPI cant run indepently in this industry to be held hostage by powers that be, don't punish the members who "arent" involved in the disputes ,then i might just throw in the towel and join the rest of the pilgrimage away from the sport.

Quit shooting yourselves in the foot!

Allan - I was told that Hiawatha was offered an extension but it was turned down by them?

Let's suspend the slot revenue for the amount of time that the simulcast is down and we'll see how fast an agreement will be reached by Hiawatha. Most of the tracks around can't be bothered with the horse racing but they need it for the golden egg, the slot revenue. Get your crap together!

Hi this is incredible...I have never seen an industry self distruct faster than standardbred racing in Canada,I have been involved in horse racing since 1968 started at connaught park in Aylmer.What a sad day that was when the doors closed.You people have to wake up,i too have an account with HPI.I am now in Vancouver no one goes anymore.Fraser downs and Hastings park are beautiful tracks.Very little ads on tv or in the papers or radio why???I no the slots are everything to you but i dont like slots i love horses lets bring back the love for the game of horse racing.lets come up with new ideas we need young people involved and lets stop fighting....HPI is a good idea why restrict people....lets get Quebec back in the game it can be done...love of the sport...

why open the door for our bettors to find an illegal betting site?let the offtrack operate while the negotiations are ongoing! we are only hurting ourselves by continuing this way!!

I understand OHHA is in within their rights but wouldn't it have made more sense to tell Hiawatha that you would pull the signal in a specified number of days? The people who are being hurt the most are the gamblers, the tellers who work at Hiawatha, and the horsemen that race there as that will be less money for purses.

Hey,

In case anyone cares, Sudbury Downs has no contract either, and no teletheatres, leaving the local bettors in the same position as Quebec. Is this the end of another group of diehards? Probably. But that's O.K., since harness racing has such a rosy future in North America, and everyone seems to be happy to get rid of the true backbone of the industry.

In one interview that Mr. Borg aired, both interviewer and guest seemed to be pleased that we would become a "fringe" sport. Well, I hope that you are happy that we are all assimilating, Mr. Borg, I guess you knew that resistance was futile.

I have had an HPI account for the better part of a decade, and enjoy the convenience of betting online. When I went to the HPI site on New Year's Day, I was surprised to be greeted by a notice that said I would be unable to bet because Hiawatha Horse Park and OHHA have not agreed on a contract for 2010.
This contract dispute has nothing to do with me, but I am a victim of it just the same. Apparently my crime is living in the Hiawatha betting area. So, I am being held hostage in this dispute. I can't access MY OWN MONEY in my HPI account to bet on any track, anywhere. Are you kidding? That should not even be legal.
So here we go again. The track and OHHA have their own agendas, the regulators have their rules, and the poor old bettor is an afterthought (or no thought at all). No wonder horse racing is losing people to other forms of gambling.
My dispute is not with the track or OHHA, but with antiquated wagering regulations that divvy the country up into different areas with different rules depending on what race track you happen to live closest to. In the age of accessing virtually anything anywhere electronically, that is just unacceptable and needs to be changed.

hello,happy new year!

was hiawatha owned by attractions hippiques? must of be managed by the same people runnung the quebec gov.and loto quebec. arrogant and flangrant.

Close down the simulcast so patrons can be inconvenienced. I'm sure at least a few of them will find other things to do with their time and money. But hey, business is so good, whats a few lost customers here and there. Duh!