Gov. Andrew Cuomo is displeased with the new that the New York Racing Association inked a contract recently with an Oregon company to provide telephone wagering services.

As Jim Odato over at CapCon reported on Wednesday, NYRA said the outsourcing of telewagering services was needed after the call volumes increased when New York City OTB was forced to shutter its locations last year.

Though NYRA insists no New York jobs will be lost, Cuomo is still concerned about the contract “given the extraordinary investment New York State has made to maintain NYRA’s viability over the years.”

Here’s the letter:

Dear Mr. Hayward:

It is my understanding that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has entered into a contract to conduct NYRA’s telephone wagering from a facility located in Oregon. NYRA’s decision to locate these activities and the potential jobs out of State is extremely troubling given the extraordinary investment New York State has made to maintain NYRA’s viability over the years.

My top priority as Governor is to create jobs in New York State. As such, I expect you to do everything possible to ensure that these telephone wagering activities are conducted within New York State by New York State taxpayers. The Empire State Development Corporation stands ready to help you to identify options for keeping these jobs within the State.

I would ask your full cooperation in this effort and look forward to a prompt response.

Sincerely,
Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor

Update: Senate Republicans spokesman Scott Reif emailed a short time ago to note that Sen. Andrew Lanza has a bill due to be before the Finance Committee Monday that would require NYRA to contract with call centers in New York. It does not have an Assembly version.

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