Gee, how about that…
***** Saying it was incomplete, the state Pari-Mutuel Commission on Friday declined to accept the application of Lakes Region Gaming LLC for a license to operate the Lakes Region Greyhound Park in Belmont.
And because the application has to be resubmitted, the commission also took no action on a request from the prospective track owners to waive a requirement of the license that the facility have live racing this season.
What is also unlikely, based on comments at the commission meeting, is the support of other New Hampshire dog track operators for Lakes Region Greyhound Park being able to forego the entire live racing season.
Johnstone has said it was it would be nearly impossible to have live racing this year because of the long lead time needed to reactivate the track which has been shut down since April 27.
Speaking for Rockingham Park in Salem and Yankee Greyhound Park in Seabrook, Dan Callahan told the commission that they should not waive the live racing requirement for the Belmont track.
"You have to have live racing," he said, adding that excluding Lakes Region from that requirement created "an unfair competitive advantage" for it.
"This is the wrong way to go," said Callahan. *****