Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. So as the powers that be continue to drag their heels when asked by Quebec's harness racing industry to get teletheatres and off-track wagering back in the province, Tony Infilise and the Quebec Jockey Club decided to create their own
.
"After a lot of work and research we're planning to open what we call HPI parlours," Infilise told Trot Radio's Norm Borg. "We opened one last June in Quebec City, it's been very successful. We plan to open in the major markets here during the rest of this year and over the course of the summer a number of HPI parlours where it's similar to an OTB but you must have a HPI account in order to wager."
Infilise tells Trot Radio's Norm Borg that the amount of purses and race dates, while an increase from 2010, are still not at the levels he would like to see. Much of this has to do with the fact that the desired revenues from off-track wagering weren't available.
"We're moving forward, but I have to be honest that it's less than what we wanted and the reason for that is the delay in getting changes to the rules and regulations pertaining to OTBs in Quebec - which is still not done."
Infilise states that the on-track goals for the Quebec Jockey Club is 40 dates of harness racing in 2012, and off track to show the provincial government which decided to stop funding the industry that harness racing does indeed have value.
"Our job is to convince the members of cabinet that with the Quebec Jockey Club, we have the right formula to build a sustainable industry that would be very positive economically and create a significant number of jobs. That job is not yet done but I feel we're progressing."
The full interview with Borg and Infilise is available below.
Episode 203 – Tony Infilise; President, Quebec Jockey Club
Audio Format: MP3 audio
Host: Norm Borg
Please note that the opinions expressed in the featured interview are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect Rideau Carleton Raceway and/or Standardbred Canada.