Horse Racing Getting Older

[DeanT]

Some new numbers from a conference a couple of weeks ago which show a real degradation of younger players coming on board to bet the sport. I'm beginning to think what everyone has been telling us since we were ten years old might be starting to ring true.


http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/this-time-horse-racings-aging-demographic-problem-is-very-real/

[lamboguy]

this is quite glaring, the game has not been able to attract new faces. to me the game is working overtime to scare people away. the reasons are very obvious, but are never dealt with, just swept under the rug. for years the game had worked perfectly, but it needs a few modification's to live on like everything else in the world.

[MadTiger]

There are just so many different gambling options/entertainment options out there competing for consumer dollars.

[ronsmac]

Some new numbers from a conference a couple of weeks ago which show a real degradation of younger players coming on board to bet the sport. I'm beginning to think what everyone has been telling us since we were ten years old might be starting to ring true.


http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/this-time-horse-racings-aging-demographic-problem-is-very-real/I consider myself kind of old, but on the rare occasion I walk into a racetrack, I'm one of the youngest people there.

[Tom]

Naw, it's not getting older, the tracks are just using faulty calendars. :rolleyes:

[GMB@BP]

Its just pretty hard to compete with other forms of gambling that have takeouts that are much lower. Also the cost to play is generally higher right off the bat that you dont have in many other types of gambling.

I dont see it changing.

[Seabiscuit@AR]

One reason tote turnover is dying is because the market is grossly unfair and in favor of the older and most experienced players. Rebated totes give big advantages to the best players by allowing them to play off the biggest handicap marks. This is insane and if anything it should be the opposite

99% of new players will start out playing without a rebate. They will lose at -20% or more for a few weeks or months and find out it is true that "you can't beat the races". They will quit and never return

[woodbinepmi]

Handicapping is too difficult and not enough action (30 minutes between races) for your typical millennial. I would use the handicapping contest sites like Derby Wars to get them involved in the sport. The betting difficulty is what scares them off, but most of them play fantasy football in some form or another. They are more used to the head to head action.

[sour grapes]

when a 52 year old like myself is the kid at the track, i dont need a symposium to tell me what is utterly obvious.

[linrom1]

It's the nature of how the industry structured the sport. New players are viewed as prey where the more experienced, deep pocket money cliques look for a score. Also the pari-mutuel nature of the game makes it players' burden to support the sport and pay for its upkeep.

Why shouldn't a player be able to make a wager with an exchange or a bookie for a small fee and let the tracks and owners pay for purses and track upkeep.

[GMB@BP]

There are things they could do

For one, basically any denomination of the bet could be made in terms of wins and exactas, pick 3. I can see reasons for some limits on p4-p6’s.

Where are head to head bets? Where are other gimmick type bets. These are very popular. They should have many things on the table. Exchange wagering should be the model, where I can back or lay a horse. I could get better odds.

How is TVG not in full high definition…….you think the younger generation accepts standard definition which for the most part looks like trash?

Why does Santa Anita solely rely on calracings old outdated low quality replays in todays age? Again, the expectation for the visual product is higher than that.

[Arapola]

Why don't they market to Women more?
I know plenty of Female's that gamble at Casino's.
They are not shy about laying out the cash at those venue's.

[betovernetcapper]

Go all in on the Internet. At one time beer & tobacco combines would sponsor events at fraternity parties, the idea being that if you started drinking Bud, you would do so your whole life. Sell college kids data at half price. Have people like Beyer or Benton visit game theory classes and point out ways of approaching the game. Make an effort.

[DeanT]

follow up on some strategies that may attract tech savvy younger folks.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/three-strategies-to-attract-the-millenial-gambler/

[Andy Asaro]

follow up on some strategies that may attract tech savvy younger folks.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/three-strategies-to-attract-the-millenial-gambler/

https://twitter.com/racetrackandy/status/903643793508900864

[AndyC]

follow up on some strategies that may attract tech savvy younger folks.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/three-strategies-to-attract-the-millenial-gambler/

Your article is right on but there is another "old' problem that doesn't help matters. That is the decision makers in the industry are old and far less inclined to suggest or adapt to substantial changes. They are much like the old players today who hearken back to the glory days of racing when they would go to the track and the stands would be full. They both want to try and turn back the clock.

[Andy Asaro]

Your article is right on but there is another "old' problem that doesn't help matters. That is the decision makers in the industry are old and far less inclined to suggest or adapt to substantial changes. They are much like the old players today who hearken back to the glory days of racing when they would go to the track and the stands would be full. They both want to try and turn back the clock.

Very true.

Most of them are "they're gonna lose anyway" camp and learned it at U of A IMO. If we ever get hot mic moment people will learn real fast about how they really look a their Customers IMO.

[GMB@BP]

Great article.

Similar to what I had posted.

Younger generation expects ease of access, quick use of information, high quality viewing on ALL devices.

[CincyHorseplayer]

I took my 2yo grandson to the races this summer and he loves it. When I turn it on tv at home he says "Horseys"! Plus I have 2 new grandbabies that will be there soon too. I think it starts with families. I was lucky to discover it when I was younger. And lucky I live in a city that has nearly year round live racing. Most of my fascination with this game came from reading Hemingway and Bukowski's accounts of racing. That put the romance and curiosity in. I knew enough people that went to the races. But once I actually saw a racing form I was intrigued by all those esoteric symbols and once I heard the thunder of hooves I was hooked. It's been 21 years since then. That is the initial intrigue. But I can speed up the experience for friends and family with the experience and knowledge I've acquired. We all need to do the same and be ambassadors of this sport as often as we can to those around us. Do "OUR" part. Hopefully the industry fossils WILL die off and a younger generation that gets what will appeal to the younger generation takes over.

[DeanT]

Your article is right on but there is another "old' problem that doesn't help matters. That is the decision makers in the industry are old and far less inclined to suggest or adapt to substantial changes. They are much like the old players today who hearken back to the glory days of racing when they would go to the track and the stands would be full. They both want to try and turn back the clock.

Agree. Good point, and not talked about a lot.

[CincyHorseplayer]

Agree. Good point, and not talked about a lot.

The old "Woe is me" philosophy. The year I got into racing James Quinn printed a book called On Track/Off Track:Playing the Horses in Troubled Times. He has been a huge influence on me but that was 21 years ago. I feel like right at this moment I'm playing as well as I ever have and getting solid prices and returns. I think us players are more resilient than the insiders could even fathom. Woe is them!

[Parkview_Pirate]

Some new numbers from a conference a couple of weeks ago which show a real degradation of younger players coming on board to bet the sport. I'm beginning to think what everyone has been telling us since we were ten years old might be starting to ring true.


http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/this-time-horse-racings-aging-demographic-problem-is-very-real/

I would suggest another factor not mentioned, and outside the control of the industry, will only make it tougher for the future of the sport.

Discretionary income.

40 years ago a "working class" family could get by quite comfortably on a single income, and could have a little left over for a nice summer vacation. Sometimes the breadwinner could sneak off to the track for some entertainment, and if single you could spend a good chunk of your paycheck at the track without any consequences. These days, with the squeeze on everywhere you turn, it's harder and harder for younger folks to come up with any extra cash to blow at the track. Actually, it's more difficult for most of us not in the top 10% or so. Multiple incomes at much lower wages is now the norm for many, and after paying for a smart phone, higher rents/mortgages, higher health care costs, ridiculous student loans and higher taxes, there's not much left over for any expensive hobbies.

Cracks are beginning to show in other "entertainment" industries, as pro sports, NASCAR, casinos, etc., are all showing signs of slowing growth or contraction. Pretty soon that Saturday afternoon will come down to heading to the local library for some cheap web surfing, looking for aluminum cans in ditches for deposit money, and cooling down that six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to watch an over-the-air night game on TV....

[Tom]

Racing is a slow game.
Watching the post parades going to the gate on Saratoga Live, I start to nod off. So much action! They should play a funeral dirge in the background.

Even the broadcast team runs out of stuff to talk about.
"Let's go to Maggie in the paddock. "Maggie! What's your favorite color"

[LemonSoupKid]

I would suggest another factor not mentioned, and outside the control of the industry, will only make it tougher for the future of the sport.

Discretionary income.

40 years ago a "working class" family could get by quite comfortably on a single income, and could have a little left over for a nice summer vacation. Sometimes the breadwinner could sneak off to the track for some entertainment, and if single you could spend a good chunk of your paycheck at the track without any consequences. These days, with the squeeze on everywhere you turn, it's harder and harder for younger folks to come up with any extra cash to blow at the track. Actually, it's more difficult for most of us not in the top 10% or so. Multiple incomes at much lower wages is now the norm for many, and after paying for a smart phone, higher rents/mortgages, higher health care costs, ridiculous student loans and higher taxes, there's not much left over for any expensive hobbies.

Cracks are beginning to show in other "entertainment" industries, as pro sports, NASCAR, casinos, etc., are all showing signs of slowing growth or contraction. Pretty soon that Saturday afternoon will come down to heading to the local library for some cheap web surfing, looking for aluminum cans in ditches for deposit money, and cooling down that six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon to watch an over-the-air night game on TV....

I think Parkview is on to something here. I keep telling people that in my lifetime, the reset will come, and with it, a return to sanity and traditional living. So many spoiled Americans have turned to alternate realities, and it can't last. Especially with so many drones dependent on QE created dollars.

[n.c]

so avg monthly payment is close to $500, plus insurance $200 ..majority of the cars lose 50% of value in 5 years. so you end up losing 17500 over 5 years= losing 300 dollars a month
average apartment rent is over 1000
Then you add Starbucks coffee= majority of the people have no extra cash

I know people who make 50,000 a year driving $60,000 vehicles..and they cannot figure out the reason they have no extra cash in the bank:headbanger:

[Bullet Plane]

The youth of today thinks that horse racing is cruel.

If they see running or any exercise of any kind, they think it is cruel.

They think that you have to sit on your butt playing video games, eating chips,

and getting rides to go three blocks, is the way to go ...so that you won't get winded.

Also, there is a total disconnect from the animal world.

Horses used to be what got us around. They pulled wagons.

People do not know what horses are today.

They are frightened, if they see one.

If they see one with a human, they assume someone is being cruel to it.

Why?

Because they know that they are cruel to their pets, and so it must be that way.

The youth today would crap their pants if they saw an actual horse.

They don't see the beauty in them, or anything in the animal world,for that matter.

They only see the beauty of the machine.

If their computer is on the blink, they done for the day.

[Track Phantom]

Youth today are no different than youth of yesteryear. They just have many, many more options to invest their time and money into. This has caused one change in attitude (which permeates all of US society), the requirement for instant, or near instant, gratification.

50 years ago, people used to keep score at a baseball game. I bet most younger people have no idea how to even do that. It's just slow. So is racing. There is too much time between races. I believe it's somewhere around 28 minutes at Saratoga. That needs to be closer to 20 minutes. That would be a start.

You can't even talk about engaging a younger audience until all video is in HD.

[thaskalos]

When a business flounders, you don't blame the CUSTOMERS for not showing up...you blame the BUSINESS, for not offering an appealing product to the marketplace. I live in Las Vegas, the great "gambling laboratory"...where all the different forms of gambling are allowed to compete against each other up close. And horse racing in Las Vegas is only a fading blip on the gambling radar...whereas the other forms of gambling are managing quite nicely, thank you very much. In the strip sportsbooks where I spend a lot of my time, the racebook sections are so deserted that the management doesn't even bother to supply a teller to service the few remaining horseplayers there...forcing them to go to the sports-betting sections to place their bets...where they are asked to wait behind sports-bettors who are wagering on events whose starting times are still hours away.

I started playing this game at a time when serious horseplayers would flock to the track with $500+ in their pockets...which they'd put to regular active use. My experience tells me that these players have fled the game in droves, leaving only the small players still remaining in the game...who have no other "beatable" game to play with the tiny bankrolls that they still have left in their pockets. If it weren't for those secretive REBATES that the betting outfits are dishing out in an "under-the-table" fashion...then the national parimutuel handle would be HALF of what it currently is reported to be, IMO. And then we'd see how much of the past customer-base of this game has really fled the scene in recent years.

Before we blame the young uninitiated gamblers for not being "sharp enough" to participate in a "sophisticated" game like horse racing...we have to ask why those "wily veterans" of yesteryear, who used to play this game with great interest, have lost their enthusiasm for the game in recent times. Because, if you can't hold on to your existing customers...you have little hope of acquiring any new ones.

[bks]

There are just so many different gambling options/entertainment options out there competing for consumer dollars.

In how many of them can you plan to make a bet at 9-1, and less two minutes later the bet is actually at 5-1 and un-cancellable?

[bks]

When a business flounders, you don't blame the CUSTOMERS for not showing up...you blame the BUSINESS, for not offering an appealing product to the marketplace. I live in Las Vegas, the great "gambling laboratory"...where all the different forms of gambling are allowed to compete against each other up close. And horse racing in Las Vegas is only a fading blip on the gambling radar...whereas the other forms of gambling are managing quite nicely, thank you very much. In the strip sportsbooks where I spend a lot of my time, the racebook sections are so deserted that the management doesn't even bother to supply a teller to service the few remaining horseplayers there...forcing them to go to the sports-betting sections to place their bets...where they are asked to wait behind sports-bettors who are wagering on events whose starting times are still hours away.

I started playing this game at a time when serious horseplayers would flock to the track with $500+ in their pockets...which they'd put to regular active use. My experience tells me that these players have fled the game in droves, leaving only the small players still remaining in the game...who have no other "beatable" game to play with the tiny bankrolls that they still have left in their pockets. If it weren't for those secretive REBATES that the betting outfits are dishing out in an "under-the-table" fashion...then the national parimutuel handle would be HALF of what it currently is reported to be, IMO. And then we'd see how much of the past customer-base of this game has really fled the scene in recent years.

Before we blame the young uninitiated gamblers for not being "sharp enough" to participate in a "sophisticated" game like horse racing...we have to ask why those "wily veterans" of yesteryear, who used to play this game with great interest, have lost their enthusiasm for the game in recent times. Because, if you can't hold on to your existing customers...you have little hope of acquiring any new ones.

Spot on. What regular player can take the consequences of 9-1 shots at a minute to post paying 5-1 bc of late money pounding them race after race? I play Pk 4, pk 5 exclusively anymore. And I play much, much less.

[thespaah]

so avg monthly payment is close to $500, plus insurance $200 ..majority of the cars lose 50% of value in 5 years. so you end up losing 17500 over 5 years= losing 300 dollars a month
average apartment rent is over 1000
Then you add Starbucks coffee= majority of the people have no extra cash

I know people who make 50,000 a year driving $60,000 vehicles..and they cannot figure out the reason they have no extra cash in the bank:headbanger:

Oh yeah...and millenials are much less apt to own cars and are eschewing houses as well/
Millenials do not want any kind of longer term commitment. They are the 'woe is me 'generation. They want big bucks for a job in which they have no experience. They are cheaper than cheap.
I was talking to our server at a restaurant about tipping. She said she cannot stand millenials because they tip very poorly if at all,
Millenials want everything done yesterday. They have poor time management skills.
Horse racing in their view takes up too much time. From what? Surfing the internet, face book and playing video games.
Millenials want nothing to do with anything that requires thinking or static activity such as looking at printed matter.
If their is not "an app for that" they want nothing to do with it.