New Rules Advanced for Vet Technicians in New York
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New York State regulators have given preliminary approval to a new set of regulations governing veterinarian technicians at Thoroughbred racetracks and to make changes to certain kinds of betting at the state's Thoroughbred tracks.
A plan to create a new license category for veterinarian technicians will go to a public comment period after the New York State Gaming Commission gave an initial nod July 23 to the proposal.
"The function of a veterinary technician shall be performed only at the direction and under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian who is on the same premises," the proposal rule states.
The exception: Veterinary technicians who are employed by the gaming commission or a Thoroughbred track and who are collecting biological samples for out-of-competition testing and post-race test drawings. Such technicians have to be working under the supervision of a veterinarian, but the vet does not have to be physically present at the track.
"The purpose of this proposal is to make it more feasible for horsepersons and racetracks to provide appropriate veterinary care by permitting the use of supervised veterinarian technicians. The proposal would create a license category for veterinary technicians and would apply to such personnel the same license fee and restrictions for recordkeeping, horse ownership, the possession and disposal of needles and drugs, and commission approval when employed by a racetrack as currently apply to veterinarians, as well as require that such personnel act under the direction and general supervision of a licensed veterinarian," states a memo from the gaming commission's counsel to the board members.
The memo said technicians are now licensed under what the agency calls a general services licensing category.
The commission at its July 23 meeting also adopted a final rule to let Thoroughbred tracks offer a new pick-six wager called a "jackpot" or "rainbow" bet that has proven popular with bettors in some other jurisdictions.
The new pick-six wager would give the winnings to the person who selects the winning horse in six consecutive races, when there is only a single person to correctly pick all six winners.
"The number of possible winning tickets is displayed to the betting public as the designated races are run. This generates excitement as the holders of pick-six jackpot tickets that have won the races that have been run, and the crowd at the racetrack or viewing elsewhere, watch whether the possible winning tickets will dwindle in number to only one," states a staff memo to the gaming commission's board.
"If there is not a unique winning ticket sold, the major share of the net pool is distributed as a single prize pool to the bettors selecting the greatest number of winning horses in the pick-six jackpot races, and a minor share is carried over to the next pick-six jackpot pool," says the staff memo, later noting, "The proposal has provisions for other eventualities, including surface changes and race cancellations."
The commission said the New York Racing Association believes the wager will heighten bettor interest while Finger Lakes Racetrack officials offered no objections.
The commission also advanced a preliminary rule that would affect certain show pool wagering rules in races with smaller-sized fields. Questions raised by one board member, however, indicate the plan could face any number of undisclosed changes in the months ahead.
The new plan amends an earlier proposal that would have given tracks leeway to not offer show wagers in some races. The new version, which will now go to a public comment period, gives the state the final say whether show wagering is canceled in a race. Precisely how that will work--given that field sizes can be determined shortly before a scheduled race--is something the commission said it will consider.
"A racetrack needs enough time to request permission once it learns that only five separate entries are scheduled to race," a staff memo to the board states.
Under the new proposal, tracks can request to the commission, not less than 10 minutes before post time, to cancel a show pool if there are five or fewer horses running.