Horse Racing Exposed: Drugs and Death

The failure of racing commissions to protect horses from this level of abuse has been noted elsewhere.

Attendance at Horse Races is declining and this explains part of the reason. Who wants to witness cruelty?





Published on Mar 19, 2014

A PETA undercover investigation of leading thoroughbred trainer Steve Asmussen reveals chronic misuse of drugs, reportedly to enhance horses' performance and mask their injuries.

PETA Accuses Top Horse Trainer Of Animal Cruelty Following Undercover Investigation

Posted: 03/21/2014

After a four-month undercover investigation, an animal rights group has accused a prominent horse trainer of giving his horses unnecessary amounts of performance-enhancing drugs and using illegal electric shock devices to make them run faster.

The investigation, conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), used hidden cameras and microphones to document the staff of Steve Asmussen, a top thoroughbred racehorse trainer who holds multiple horse racing records and has won millions of dollars in horse race purses.

The probe took place at both Churchill Downs in Kentucky and Saratoga Race Track in New York from April through August of last year.

Released on Thursday, the video appears to show Asmussen's workers discussing a top-performing horse's feet being worn down to "nubs." One says they had to use superglue to keep its hooves together.

That horse, who was named Nehro, died of colic -- "a term used to describe a symptom of abdominal (belly) pain" -- in the back of a van on the day of the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

The man can also be heard discussing how he had a jockey use an illegal shocking tool on a horse. ("I'd tell [jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.], 'You got the máquina?'" he says.) He's also heard talking about employing undocumented workers and having them lie to the IRS.

PETA's video also purports to show prominent veterinarian Dr. James Hunt Jr. saying all of Asmussen's horses are given Lasix, or furosemide, a controversial drug that's banned in many countries but legal in the United States.

"They basically all run on it. It makes them lighter," the man PETA identifies as Hunt says in the clip.

Hunt did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Huffington Post.
Asmussen's lawyer, Clark Brewster, told HuffPost that electric shock devices were

After a four-month undercover investigation, an animal rights group has accused a prominent horse trainer of giving his horses unnecessary amounts of performance-enhancing drugs and using illegal electric shock devices to make them run faster.

The investigation, conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), used hidden cameras and microphones to document the staff of Steve Asmussen, a top thoroughbred racehorse trainer who holds multiple horse racing records and has won millions of dollars in horse race purses.

The probe took place at both Churchill Downs in Kentucky and Saratoga Race Track in New York from April through August of last year.

Released on Thursday, the video appears to show Asmussen's workers discussing a top-performing horse's feet being worn down to "nubs." One says they had to use superglue to keep its hooves together.

That horse, who was named Nehro, died of colic -- "a term used to describe a symptom of abdominal (belly) pain" -- in the back of a van on the day of the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

The man can also be heard discussing how he had a jockey use an illegal shocking tool on a horse. ("I'd tell [jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.], 'You got the máquina?'" he says.) He's also heard talking about employing undocumented workers and having them lie to the IRS.

PETA's video also purports to show prominent veterinarian Dr. James Hunt Jr. saying all of Asmussen's horses are given Lasix, or furosemide, a controversial drug that's banned in many countries but legal in the United States.

"They basically all run on it. It makes them lighter," the man PETA identifies as Hunt says in the clip.

Hunt did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Huffington Post.
Asmussen's lawyer, Clark Brewster, told HuffPost that electric shock devices were never used. He said the recorded dialogue in the video was just table talk about the use of buzzers "historically" and not specifically on his client's horses.

"We are reserving comment until we get specific allegations from PETA," Brewster said. "At this point it's just been a media blitz by PETA rather than any substance or information for us to respond to. I think ultimately people will see what this is, an effort by this organization to grandstand because they disapprove of horse racing."

Brewster said he's spent the past two days trying to get PETA to send him complaints but that PETA has declined to do so. PETA, however, says it had offered to provide Brewster with the complaints.

The animal rights group filed complaints with federal and state officials in Kentucky and New York after completing its investigation. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, a state agency that regulates horse racing in Kentucky, confirmed to HuffPost that it had received documents from PETA alleging animal cruelty "by two trainers working at Churchill Downs."

The Commission said it has not reviewed the information yet but that it plans to conduct a thorough investigation.

Churchill Downs could not be reached for comment. The Saratoga Race Track did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/21/peta-steve-asmussen-animal-cruelty-investigation_n_5001756.html



 

NH House committee votes against casino bill

By Andy Hershberger

Bio

House committee votes against casino bill

Bill would authorize casino with slots, table games

The House Ways and Means Committee spent much of the day debating HB 1633, which would authorizing the building of a casino with slots and table games, along with a gaming commission to regulate it.

Before discussion began on the proposal, members from various labor unions gathered outside the Legislative Office Building to let their voices be heard.

"House Bill 1633 would create thousands of jobs for workers," said union spokesman Huck Montgomery. "They would be New Hampshire jobs."

The 20-member committee debated the amended bill, which was similar in many ways to a measure that failed last year.

"We need revenue," said Rep. Frank Sapareto, R-Derry. "We know what our options are. There are only two. We know it's going to be marijuana or gambling. That's the only way we'll get additional revenue. Our other options are income tax or a sales tax."

The number of jobs and amount of money predicted to be created through gambling vary. Those in favor said low estimates are $100 million or more in revenue and jobs in the thousands.

But opponents said the revenue will only be half that, and there is no guarantee the jobs will go to New Hampshire residents. They also warned of social costs that range from gambling addiction to increases in domestic violence.

"This one, as far as I'm concerned, creates a great deal more damage than any other revenue source of its size that we could think about," said Rep. Susan Almy, D-Lebanon.

After several revisions and amendments, the committee voted against the proposal 11-9.

The bill will move to the full House for a vote, but it will do so without a committee endorsement.


Read more: http://www.wmur.com/politics/house-committee-votes-against-casino-bill/24801642#ixzz2vBnNAMbj

5 Ways To Overcome A Gambling Addiction

5 Ways To Overcome A Gambling Addiction
Lydia Dallett

Mar. 1, 2014

In the 1968 film "Funny Girl," Barbra Streisand's character falls in love with Nick Arnstein, a dashing con artist whose reckless gambling causes them to lose their mansion, savings, and finally, their marriage.

When the movie first came out, Nick's gambling problem was seen as just that — a problem. It wasn't until 1980 that pathological gambling was identified as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. At the time, roughly 1.1 million Americans engaged in problematic or compulsive gambling; today, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) estimates that between 5.4 and 8.1 million adults meet the criteria for gambling addiction.

Heather Berlin, a neuroscientist at Mt. Sinai, says that like drug addicts, problem gamblers are unable to stop gambling even when the behavior becomes destructive. "They'll do it at the cost of losing their job, destroying their relationships, or losing their money," she says. "Gambling addicts just can't seem to stop themselves from engaging in this negative or detrimental behavior."

Problem gamblers aren't only a danger to themselves — the NCPG estimates that the bankruptcies, burglaries, spouse abuse, child neglect, foreclosures, and even suicide associated with gambling addiction costs the U.S. $6 billion each year.

As with all addictions, the severity of the problem varies from person to person, and there's no set pattern for when addicts gamble (daily vs. weekly) or the medium they use. Keith Whyte, executive director of the NCPG, says that men tend to prefer sports betting and competitive skill-based games, while women are more likely to play the slot machines or bingo.

What really matters, says Berlin, is how much you're gambling and what happens when someone tries to stop you. "It's a spectrum," she says. "The depth of it is really what we have to gauge. There's no clear black or white line whether it's pathological or not. It's just a matter of degree."

Gambling your life savings, for example, or experiencing withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and restlessness when prevented from betting, are good signs that you might have a problem, she says.

If you're concerned about your own or a friend's gambling habits, here are steps to overcoming a gambling addiction:

1. Admit you have a problem. As with all addictions, one of the first steps on the road to recovery is admitting there's something wrong in the first place. The percentage of gambling addicts who seek out treatment is small (some estimates are as low as 3%), and Berlin says most addicts don't get help until very late in the cycle. "In the beginning, they may be in denial," she says, "but when it gets to a point where it's clearly a problem, they stop trying to deny it."

When they do seek help, many call 24-hour gambling hotlines, which are answered by trained mental health professionals. The NCPG hotline received 317,000 calls last year, says Whyte, and has received a 10% increase in calls each year for the past decade.

2. Join a support group. Along with individual therapy, many gamblers go to self-help groups like Gambler's Anonymous (GA), a 12-step program modeled off of Alcoholics Anonymous that uses many of the same techniques, such as having a sponsor.

According to a GA spokesperson, there are just over 1,700 GA groups in the United States, all of which can be located by city and state on their website, and groups in 86 international cities. Spouses and family members of gambling addicts can go to Gam-Anon meetings (available in 40 U.S. states) to learn how to support their loved one without encouraging his or her problem.

3. Seek professional help. The standard treatment for gambling addiction, says Berlin, is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in which a therapist and addict work one-on-one to change the gambler's destructive behavior and thoughts. CBT helps addicts build coping skills and develop cognitive tools to help them resist the urge to gamble, such as practicing waiting for increasingly longer periods of time before giving in to the gambling urge.

"There's a lot of relapse just like with drug addictions," she says. "People stop for a while, and then something might trigger them, and they'll go on a [gambling] binge and relapse." CBT teaches gamblers how to deal with issues in their personal or financial lives rather than find an escape through gambling.

4. Consider medication. Like a drug addict who has become desensitized to small amounts of the drug, people who are prone to gambling addiction often have trouble feeling the same "high" that other people get when anticipating winning money, says Berlin. Rather than seeking out a high, she says, problem gamblers "need more just to get the normal high as someone who's not a pathological gambler."

To correct for this imbalance of dopamine, psychiatrists will often prescribe SSRIs, an antidepressant that affects the serotonin system. Other drugs that are also prescribed are lithium, often used in cases where the person also has bipolar disorder, and opiate antagonists like nalmefene, which reduces the positive feelings associated with winning.

5. Implement regulatory mechanisms. Some gamblers who don't currently have a problem but worry about themselves in the future may try to put limits on how often they gamble and the amount of money they gamble with. This can include only bringing cash to a casino or gambling with designated money and not dipping into funds for other specified expenses (e.g., rent, mortgage, food).
Gamblers on the opposite end of the spectrum, who are clearly identified as pathological gamblers and are either not in treatment or are suffering from relapse, sometimes designate a trusted advisor to control their finances so that they're literally prevented from accessing cash for gambling.

SEE ALSO: 8 Signs You're Addicted To Gambling

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-overcome-a-gambling-addiction-2014-2#ixzz2uoSl70py

The cost of gambling addiction

Wager sensibly this weekend, Council on Problem Gambling advises

May 3, 2013

Rob Gwinn of Louisville checks his tickets at the betting window on the opening night of the Spring Meet at Churchill Downs on Saturday. April 27, 2013 / David Lee Hartlage/Special to The Courier-Journal

Written by The Courier-Journal

With wagering activity expected to be high for Kentucky Derby weekend, race fans are being advised not to bet more than they can afford.

The Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling cautioned in a news release on Friday that the Derby “creates an exciting race with overtones of a desperate cavalry charge. ... The normal or casual horse race fan sees this as an exciting event, with the chance of a little reward for picking the winning horse.”

But such big horse races can be a issue for problem gamblers, the council said, providing the “action he or she craves. It is the problem gambler’s opportunity to feel alive.”

The council estimates that 250,000 Kentuckians either are addicted gamblers or demonstrate behavior that places them at risk of developing an addiction. It suggests a conservative estimate is that gambling addiction costs the state at least $81 million annually.

Michael Stone, executive director of the state Council on Problem Gambling, said, “Practicing responsible gambling behavior can minimize the possibility of gambling addiction.”

Studies indicate pathological gamblers have high rates of suicide, bankruptcy and abusive behavior, he said.

The council is a Kentucky non-profit corporation funded by memberships and donations. Corporate members include casinos, racetracks and the Kentucky Lottery Corp.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130503/BETTERLIFE05/305030116/Wager-sensibly-weekend-Council-Problem-Gambling-advises

Casino a bad fit for students

AS I SEE IT

By Francesco Cesareo

 

Worcester is a smart city. It is home to nine world-class colleges and universities, and thousands of students who have chosen the city for its quality institutions of higher learning; cultural, entertainment, restaurant, and sporting venues, as well as for the proximity to some of the world’s most innovative companies. As consumers and energetic employees, students fuel the engine of this great city’s economy.

Worcester is no place, however, for a casino. We know from studies that a predictable percentage of a population with easy access to a casino will develop gambling addictions.

It is a fact that young adults are particularly vulnerable to these risks. Gambling creates additional social problems, including an increase in suicide, child and spousal abuse, and personal bankruptcy. We are also aware that other casino sites nationally have attracted alcohol problems, drugs, prostitution, and other crimes.

These threats should not be knowingly located in such close proximity to 30,000 students. Being 18 to 21 years old, these students are still in their formative years. This makes the location of a casino in a college town such as Worcester even more troubling since young adults can potentially develop habits that will be detrimental to their lives, not to mention to their academic careers. Poor choices could have negative, lifelong consequences.

We believe that this issue is of critical importance to the safety as well as the continued growth and development of Worcester and its college community. The health and well-being of our students — and of all of the city’s students — is in the best interest of the long-range plans for this wonderful community. It should also be pointed out that prospective students and their families will decide against attending one of Worcester’s colleges and universities, because parents — who are naturally concerned for the well-being of their children — do not want their children living in close proximity to a casino.

It is doubtful that the so-called economic benefits to siting a casino in Worcester will outweigh the negative long-term consequences.

Casino gambling may create an increase in revenue for Worcester, but I would argue that people who come to Worcester to gamble will basically be shifting their money from one place to another. Instead of a person spending their hard-earned money in a store, restaurant, sporting event, or shows at The Hanover Theatre for Performing Arts and DCU Center in downtown Worcester, that money would be spent on slots and card games within the casino walls. So while the casino would thrive, our other commercial venues would decline.

As president of one of Worcester’s nine colleges and universities, Assumption College, I am extremely supportive of economic development in the city. Worcester needs new housing and commercial development, especially in downtown. Projects such as CitySquare and those being led by our fellow higher education institutions are good for the city and the region.

In the end, a robust economy and vibrant city attract students to our campuses and will hopefully lead them to live in and engage with the community after they graduate. Contribution and service to community is a notion Assumption firmly believes in and supports. After all, part of our college mission is to light the way for the next generation of innovative and creative thinkers and ethical leaders.

The economic and social threats posed to our college community and to the city as a whole are not worth the risk of landing a casino here. Not only would a casino in Worcester be counterproductive to its quest for rejuvenation and redevelopment, it would also be a sociologically negative impact that we, as a city on the verge of renaissance, cannot afford.

Francesco Cesareo, Ph.D., is president of Assumption College in Worcester.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20130410/NEWS/104109943/1020

Ohio: There won't be enough money....

For every $50 revenue, cost $300....