A pair of influential South Jersey Senators have voiced their support for the horse racing industry in New Jersey on the heels of a gaming summit scheduled for Friday at the Atlantic City Convention Center
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According to a report on NorthJersey.com, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and state Sen. James Whelan have vowed to save The Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park after a report by Jon F. Hanson released two weeks ago offers recommendations which threaten the future of thoroughbred and harness racing in the state. The senators are criticizing the report for "abandoning our horse racing industry."
The report also states that Assemblyman Ralph Caputo remains on the slots at racetracks bandwagon while State Sen. Paul Sarlo noted the Hanson report concentrates too closely on Atlantic City ignoring the big picture of the state’s gambling and entertainment industries.
A spokesperson for Governor Chris Christie argued that the horse racing industry needs to be self sustainable.
"Their first commitment, from a fiscal responsibility position, should be to ensure that the industry can sustain itself without outside funding sources," said spokesman Michael Drewniak. "It would have been better to hear some constructive ideas from the Senate president before he started complaining about our serious efforts to address the gaming and racing industry problems in New Jersey."
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(With files from NorthJersey.com)