Racing & Gaming Summit Draws 400 From Around the Globe
NEWS
TUCSON, Ariz. (Dec. 12, 2002) – More than 400 racetrack and gaming executives, horsemen, governments, lotteries and Wall Street analysts gathered here Tuesday for the first annual Racing & Gaming Summit, presented by gaming industry media leader GEM Communications and by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP). The new one-day conference preceded RTIP’s 29th Annual Symposium on Racing, which continues through Friday.
The Summit addressed the emergence of casino-style gaming at racetracks throughout North America, which has already proven successful in several jurisdictions. And, according to several speakers and panelists, as governments continue to struggle with massive deficits, many more will become receptive to gaming at racetracks.
“The Racing & Gaming Summit was an informative exchange of best practices and ideas as racing looks to its future with alternative gaming,” said Bill Nader, senior vice president of the New York Racing Association. “The participation by racetracks and lotteries provided a great forum that was well-attended by all of the major players.”
Another important theme was the need for tracks to cultivate new parimutuel customers at those facilities with gaming machines. “The discussions addressing the integration of electronic games with the parimutuel product provided both insight and direction,” said Scott Scepaniak, division administrator for the Wisconsin Division of Gaming. “Those within the parimutuel industry who may soon be provided the opportunity to expand their gaming product have been provided the blueprints to succeed in such an endeavor.”
The widespread interest in the future of gaming at racetracks was reflected in the attendance at the Racing & Gaming Summit: more than 35 states, seven Canadian provinces, France, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands and the West Indies were represented among the more than 400 attendees. Dozens of racetracks were represented, as were some 20 lotteries, lottery associations and regulatory agencies. Wall Street analysts and investors and a number of gaming machine manufacturers also were in attendance.
“Clearly, there’s a great deal of interest in the future of gaming at racetracks,” said conference co-chair Charles Anderer of GEM Communications, “and that interest is coming from nearly every segment of the gaming industry. The number of people who attended this conference, and the diversity of the different fields represented speaks highly of the future of casino-style gaming at racetracks, and of the importance of using this opportunity to revitalize the racing product.”
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Media contact Stephen Gibbs, (913) 344-1300 x234; [email protected]