On Thursday, December 4, officials with the Meadowlands Racetrack issued a press release stating that the track’s simulcast signal may not be available this coming weekend due to ongoing negotiations related to simulcast agreements.
Earlier this week, MidAtlantic Cooperative LLC issued a press release stating that due to an impasse with the Monarch Content Management Company – which is a company under the umbrella of the Stronach Group – MidAtlantic member tracks have had their authority to wager on any Monarch-represented racetrack terminated.
The MidAtlantic release states that, ‘The MidAtlantic Cooperative remains committed to working with Monarch to arrive at an agreement that benefits all parties involved and intends to pursue all options available to it.’
The contents of the Meadowlands release appear below, followed by the contents of the MidAtlantic release.
Meadowlands – Notice to Harness Players
Due to ongoing negotiations related to simulcast agreements, the Meadowlands signal may not be available this weekend at the locations listed below:
Belterra Race Course
Charles Town
Colonial Downs
Delaware Park
Dover Downs
Harrah’s Philadelphia
Harrington Raceway
Mahoning Valley Race Course
Northfield Park
Ocean Downs
Parx Racing
Penn National
Pocono Downs
Raceway Park (Dayton)
Retama Park
Rosecroft Raceway
Rockingham Park
Sam Houston
Suffolk Downs
Thistledown
*Please note, any Advance Deposit Wagering Site or Off-Track Wagering Facility affiliated with any of the above listed locations may also be impacted.
We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause any of our customers and we are hopeful this contractual issue will be resolved in the near future.
If you are an individual who frequents any of the sites listed above with the purpose of wagering on the Meadowlands, we urge you to contact the site beforehand to confirm whether or not the Meadowlands signal is being offered.
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Press Release from MidAtlantic Cooperative
MidAtlantic Cooperative LLC...engaged in good faith negotiations with Monarch Content Management Company for a new agreement beginning in late September when Monarch presented its initial thoughts on the contractual relationship between the parties. The initial rate proposal received from Monarch in mid-October included unprecedented rate increases, a limited term and revised conditions that altered prior agreement terms. All terms presented by Monarch were deemed unacceptable to MidAtlantic.
On October 30, MidAtlantic submitted a counter-proposal recognizing Monarch's premium rate signals with reasonable market based increases. That proposal was rejected outright by Monarch with no counter offer, reiterating their position was the same as the rates and conditions originally proposed. In several subsequent discussions, while some possible alternatives were discussed, no progress has been made.
The result of this impasse has terminated the authority for MidAtlantic member tracks to wager on any Monarch represented racetrack.
MidAtlantic has traditionally paid premium rates to many Monarch affiliated tracks, with many other Monarch represented tracks receiving higher host fee rates than comparable MidAtlantic members.
MidAtlantic member tracks are on pace to handle approximately $1 billion again in 2014 with nearly 95% generated from the bricks and mortar facilities they staff, maintain and operate. All MidAtlantic member tracks contribute to purses for local horsemen and any increase in rates will have a negative effect on those contributions.
Phil O'Hara, Executive Director of MidAtlantic states, "We have been and will continue to try to resolve this impasse but given the pressures generated by current business trends these increases for content are not sustainable.”
The MidAtlantic Cooperative remains committed to working with Monarch to arrive at an agreement that benefits all parties involved and intends to pursue all options available to it.