84% of purses in PA come from slots

[Al Gobbi]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84295/report-slots-fueled-purses-in-pa-down-65

[Robert Goren]

It is become the land of horsemen's dreams. Now they can race without depending degenerate horse players. They can live off money from degenerate slot plays. It is a higher moral ground. :rolleyes:

[onefast99]

It is become the land of horsemen's dreams. Now they can race without depending degenerate horse players. They can live off money from degenerate slot plays. It is a higher moral ground. :rolleyes:
A man walked into a casino and played a horse race, what's wrong with that picture?

[Robert Goren]

A man walked into a casino and played a horse race, what's wrong with that picture?It never happens. At least not very often. More often a man walks into a racino and gets diverted to a blackjack table or poker game before he bets his first race.

[Just a Fan]

Why do the takeout rates remain so high in PA when they clearly no longer rely on pari mutuel commissions to pay the purses?

30% superfecta takeout at Parx and Penn National. 30% Tri takeout and Parx, 31% at Pen, according to HANA. Don't have current rates at the PA harness tracks, but they are high too. Presque Isle takeout rates are somewhat lower, but nothing special.

[onefast99]

It never happens. At least not very often. More often a man walks into a racino and gets diverted to a blackjack table or poker game before he bets his first race.
Parx is set up where you can enjoy the races in one building or go play the table games in the other. I like that type of set-up.

[proximity]

Parx is set up where you can enjoy the races in one building or go play the table games in the other. I like that type of set-up.

let's not kid ourselves, the poker room is the main attraction in parx east. I agree with your original post though that a gambler should be able to walk into a casino and be able to sample everything under a single roof like at penn national, Borgata, chester, Pocono...... I saw a harness race playing over the cable tv at resorts the other day and it's pretty screwed up that was watching this race in the casino, but couldn't bet it anywhere on the entire boardwalk. :rolleyes:

[comet52]

I'm not surprised, it's about the worst racing in the country coupled with the worst takeouts.

[onefast99]

I'm not surprised, it's about the worst racing in the country coupled with the worst takeouts.
I disagree with the worst racing part. There are many tracks who offer bottom of the rung horse races one through nine. Parx has some decent horses running, they were hit with a herpes scare and shippers didn't come in for quite a while. Thus impacting the fields severly, that was in Sal Sinatras blog about a month ago.