纽约市的准公共赌马机构–外围赌马场上周透露也许将在六月中旬结业。虽然外围赌马场年创收11亿美元，每天下注160万次，但是大部分收入都用来支付获胜赌金和营运费用了，剩余1亿2500万美元则交给纽约市府和州府。纽约市长迈克尔·布隆伯格称这些支出大于所得的净利润，因此造成了至少5年的赤字，预计08年还将有1300万美元的亏损。
这座不夜城禁止非法行当：多年以前，时代广场的脱衣舞夜总会就已销声匿迹；而2003年起更是不准在酒吧，饭店或其他公共场所吸烟。纽约人不能在车上或者学校使用手机讲话，也不准吃他们喜欢的食物：饭馆已被禁止使用人造反链脂肪。警察从去年夏天开始携带分贝计执行新的噪音管理条例。现在，下一个开刀的也许是赌博业了。
外围赌马场连年亏损，但仍靠储备金维持运作。今年夏季结束前，外围赌马场需要注资来平衡收支。布隆伯格表示他无意为这家最大的合法赌博机构提供补贴–尤其是因为市府从中获得的利润缩水，而州府及赌马业的收入却有所增加。
外围赌马场本是为了使赌博业脱离犯罪团伙的控制，为市府和州府创收而设立的合法赌博机构。20世纪80年代，外围赌马场每年为市府创造6500万美元的收入。7年前，它的实体店售价差不多是2亿5000万美元。但是现在只有那些上了年纪的赌马者才会经常光顾这些死气沉沉的营业室，而且人数也在逐渐减少。
在奥尔巴尼法学院管理一个智库的班奈特·李布曼认为关闭投注站是一个错误，但首先政府不应插足赌博业。他认为市长威胁关闭投注站只是虚张声势，意在从州府那里榨取更多的钱，而州府现在正忙于处理赛马业的另一个危机。
纽约州议会正在就本州三条纯种马跑道特许经营权归属问题进行谈判。纽约州州长伊利亚特。斯皮策希望纽约赛马协会能获得往后30年的特许经营权，但是此协会以往的表现不尽如人意。协会在十年间的黄金时光都深陷于丑闻之中（联邦政府和州政府已介入调查），此外还有财政困难（破产）以及效率低下的问题。协会的特许经营权已于12月31日到期，并两次临时延期，而政治家们仍在继续斟酌中。
译文
The city that doesn’t sleep is not allowed to do a host of naughty things:the strip joints were pushed out of Times Squareyears ago and smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places wasprohibited in 2003. New Yorkers can no longer talk on mobile phones in cars orin schools. Nor can they eat what they want: the city has banned artificialtransfats in restaurants. The police began carrying around decibel metres lastsummer to enforce new noise ordinances. Now, it looks like gambling may be thenext to go.
New York’s Off-Track Betting Corporation （OTB）， the city’squasi-public bookie, revealed a plan last week that may shut down its entireoperation by mid-June. Although the OTB grosses $1.1 billion a year and 1.6mwagers are placed daily, most of the takings are used to pay off winning betsand on operating costs. Some of the remaining $125m is disbursed to the cityand to New Yorkstate, but a large chunk ends up in the racing industry’s coffers. MichaelBloomberg, New York’smayor, contends these payouts exceed net profits, creating deficits going backat least five years and a projected $13m operating loss for 2008.
The OTB has in effect been operating in the red for years, but has usedits reserves to keep going. By this summer it will need a cash infusion just tomake ends meet. Mr Bloomberg has said he has no intention of subsidising thelargest legal gambling operation in the country—not least because the city’sshare of the revenues has dwindled while those of the state and the racingindustry have grown.
The OTB was originally designed to raise money for the city and the stateand to take gambling out of organised crime’s control by providing a legal outletfor betting. During the 1980s, it earned the city $65m a year. Just seven yearsago the entity was almost sold for $250m. Today, its bleak-looking parlours arefrequented by an ageing, dwindling base of punters.
Bennett Liebman, who heads a racing think-tank at Albany Law School, thinks closing the betting shopsis a mistake but also that government shouldn’t be in the gambling business inthe first place. He thinks the mayor’s threat to shut up shop may be just abluff in an attempt to wrest more money from the state, which is busy withanother racing-industry crisis.
New York’s state legislature is in the middle of negotiating anew franchise to see who will operate the state’s three thoroughbred race tracks. Eliot Spitzer, New York’s governor, wants the franchise to remain in the hands of the New York RacingAssociation （NYRA） for another 30 years. The NYRA’s track record is notimpressive. It has spent the best part of a decade mired in scandal （it hasbeen under federal and state investigation）， financial distress （bankruptcy）and inefficiency. Its franchise expired on December 31st. It has been given twotemporary extensions, while the politicians continue to hammer out a deal.