The details about the formation of Serious Players can be found on the link from the home page, but just a comment about the connection with Magna:

When we began setting this up with our partners, their existing handle was going through an Indian gaming site. While negotiations were going on, THEY began to negotiate with Magna, since they thought could get a better deal there. I had my reservations (ahem), and told them to make sure they had everything locked up tight on paper.

When Hagerty called me, I called my partners and told them I was going to be completely forthcoming because we had nothing to hide (sunlight), and urged them to get Magna to do the same-- for lots of reasons (some good, see the string here) Magna gets hammered in the press, and they would be much better off owning the story than have someone else drive it. They weren't ready to do that (for reasons of their own that may or may not be what they said), I went public with our part of it, and initially was treated fairly. Then the Magna connection-by-marriage came out, Hagerty made it look like everybody had something to hide, and I got smeared by association all over the DRF, prompting my letter to the editor. There was not one single relevant piece of information about what WE were doing that came out after my original interview with Hagerty-- I was completely forthcoming, and wanted everyone else to be the same.

What ended up happening was that Magna pulled out because of the heat, and the handle is now going through the original domestic,legal, pari-mutuel site.
Which is fine by me.



TGJB