Fairness when races are cancelled.

[Aner]

Last night Delta Downs cancelled the last three races. It is not the first time they have cancelled late races and I wonder if having a nearby casino enters into the decision. But my concern has to do with payouts when partial cards are cancelled. In this case the DD paid for (win - all), the P3 for (w-a-a) the pick 4 for (w-a-a-a) and the P5 for (w-w-a-a-a).

At minor tracks I have seen P3 pay out for 2 of 3. I have even seen DD where no one hits and the pot is shared between those who won the first race and those who hit the second half. In this case of cancelled races, such a possibility evaporates.

The main attraction of long serial bets is the possibility of a huge payout. When races are cancelled that dream goes away. How about the fan who wheeled the first race? He would be lucky to recover his investment.

Wouldn't it be more fair to refund all serial bets when races are cancelled?

[Robert Fischer]

Wouldn't it be more fair to refund all serial bets when races are cancelled?
Good Question
The 1 paid $19 to WIN , and the gimmicks w/ ALL paid less than that.

[cj]

How would not paying those that won the legs that had been run be fair?

[OTM Al]

How would not paying those that won the legs that had been run be fair?

When you don't have the winner(s)......

[TheEdge07]

Last night Delta Downs cancelled the last three races. It is not the first time they have cancelled late races and I wonder if having a nearby casino enters into the decision. But my concern has to do with payouts when partial cards are cancelled. In this case the DD paid for (win - all), the P3 for (w-a-a) the pick 4 for (w-a-a-a) and the P5 for (w-w-a-a-a).

At minor tracks I have seen P3 pay out for 2 of 3. I have even seen DD where no one hits and the pot is shared between those who won the first race and those who hit the second half. In this case of cancelled races, such a possibility evaporates.

The main attraction of long serial bets is the possibility of a huge payout. When races are cancelled that dream goes away. How about the fan who wheeled the first race? He would be lucky to recover his investment.

Wouldn't it be more fair to refund all serial bets when races are cancelled?

Why the cancellations?

[outofthebox]

Very heavy rainfall made the track unsafe..

[TheEdge07]

Very heavy rainfall made the track unsafe..


Thanks..i stay away from nite too much chaos..

[notoutofpounds]

Evangeline located 80 miles away in Opelousas, Louisiana cancelled the remainder of their card due to inclement weather about an hour earlier than Delta Downs, so it does not look like a Casino Conspiracy.

I played only the speed demon :1: Redhotrush Win @ 9-1 and Delta specialist :4: Hit the Road Lee in the first leg on my Pick Four ticket and went deeper the rest of the way.

I would have preferred to see how my ticket would have done with a $19.00 winner to start things off. As I had the Pick Four a bunch of times I made out very well with the :1: -All -All-All payoff of $20.40 for a $2.00 ticket.

After the cancellation I received a review of my plays in Races 10 and 11 from a buddy and how I would lost the Pick Four :D . Now I am eagerly waiting for the entrants from Races 10 and 11 are re-entered.

[jballscalls]

I wonder if having a nearby casino enters into the decision.

The jockeys usually have the most power in canceling races at any track when it comes to weather and/or track conditions. So unless they were dying to get to a craps table instead of ride in races where they can make 1,000 bucks for a minute and a half of work, I think you're theory is askew.

Also, the tracks have to pay out the purse money eventually anyways, it's in the horsemen's agreement. And they aren't saving much on payroll because most employees are paid per day or on salary. If they run 1 race or 10, the gate crew, announcers, placing judges etc are all paid the same.

[dilanesp]

This is one of those situations where bettors have to remember that there are people and horses out there on the track and their safety is important.

There is just often unfairness to bettors in these situations. If anyone remembers the Fiction / Breakfast Table story in one of Andy Beyer's books, you know what can happen. It sucks.

But I don't think anyone here would want them to run a race in unsafe conditions and see a horse or a jockey get hurt. You just have to accept these sorts of things as one of the risks of betting on horse racing.

[Aner]

The jockeys usually have the most power in canceling races at any track when it comes to weather and/or track conditions. So unless they were dying to get to a craps table instead of ride in races where they can make 1,000 bucks for a minute and a half of work, I think you're theory is askew.

Also, the tracks have to pay out the purse money eventually anyways, it's in the horsemen's agreement. And they aren't saving much on payroll because most employees are paid per day or on salary. If they run 1 race or 10, the gate crew, announcers, placing judges etc are all paid the same.



I looked up the cancellations in 2013. I tallied those tracks who cancelled after at least one race was run. But I did not count excuses like weather, track conditions, or lack of entries. I did tally the excuses of management decision and equipment malfunction. Of the 13 such cancellations, 8 were tracks that have casinos attached. Not overwhelming data, but the trend is there.

http://www.equibase.com/premium/cancellations.cfm

[OTM Al]

I looked up the cancellations in 2013. I tallied those tracks who cancelled after at least one race was run. But I did not count excuses like weather, track conditions, or lack of entries. I did tally the excuses of management decision and equipment malfunction. Of the 13 such cancellations, 8 were tracks that have casinos attached. Not overwhelming data, but the trend is there.

http://www.equibase.com/premium/cancellations.cfm

That means nothing unless you also tell us the percentage of dates of tracks with casinos to total racing dates. It sounds pretty much in line with that if I had to guess.

[Stillriledup]

How would not paying those that won the legs that had been run be fair?

The only way it would be fair is if before the races the track has a state law that says if a pick anything fails to finish, its a total refund no matter how many legs have been run. This way, bettors know in advance that they need to get all legs in the books to get to cash.

its like if you bet an MLB game in vegas and your team is winning 15-0 in the 4th inning and the rains hit, they cancel the game and you just get a refund, its not fair to the bettor who had the huge lead, but they just refund all the money.

[OTM Al]

The only way it would be fair is if before the races the track has a state law that says if a pick anything fails to finish, its a total refund no matter how many legs have been run. This way, bettors know in advance that they need to get all legs in the books to get to cash.

its like if you bet an MLB game in vegas and your team is winning 15-0 in the 4th inning and the rains hit, they cancel the game and you just get a refund, its not fair to the bettor who had the huge lead, but they just refund all the money.

There are already regulations on the books on what happens. Very few players read them now and instead cry how some outcome is unfair. Simply changing the regulations to a different rule changes nothing here, And frankly I have no idea what you are saying in this post as paragraph two does not follow from paragraph one.

[Stillriledup]

There are already regulations on the books on what happens. Very few players read them now and instead cry how some outcome is unfair. Simply changing the regulations to a different rule changes nothing here, And frankly I have no idea what you are saying in this post as paragraph two does not follow from paragraph one.

Its an analogy, maybe its a bad one.