I wrote that "I've read that handle in NY is, after adjusting for inflation, about 1/3 of what it was thirty years ago,..." - to clarify, I didn't mean NYRA handle specifically is 1/3 of what it was, even though my post was all about NYRA. Given that harness racing was still pulling in real money thirty years ago, I'm sure the decline there is a big part of the overall number. Still, given the "hit and run" betting described above, the huge decline in on-track attendance over the past 30-40 years, and the fact that NYers now bet more on out-of-state racing than on NYRA product, I'm sure their handle figures are a pittance of what they were 30 years ago.

As far as the takeout bill, I haven't seen a thing about it in the papers; a search on the state legislature website just says that the bill is "referred to racing, gaming & wagering" as of 3/10/04. There's nothing doin' with the state budget at this point, so it'll probably be awhile before we find out what happens with the Larkin bill.