Post Time Coordination Could Boost U.S.’s Annual Handle By $400 Million

[AlsoEligible]

https://www.paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/post-time-scheduling-could-boost-u-s-s-annual-handle-by-400-million/

A McKinsey & Company study commissioned by The Jockey Club revealed that as much as $400 million in annual handle is missed out on due to post time overlaps at different tracks across the United States. According to thoroughbredracing.com, a business plan to address these scheduling concerns would require three things: a master scheduler, a commitment to post-time integrity, and a scheduling optimization algorithm.

“Having no mechanism to coordinate the scheduling of 36,000-plus Thoroughbred races that will be run in 2018 is unconscionable,” opined Charles Hayward. “The more important simulcasting becomes for racetracks the more important race coordination and scheduling will become. Tracks will continue to lose considerable revenues, purses will receive less from the wagering and, most importantly, the betting customer will be poorly served by the current disorganized structure.”

Based on 2017 numbers, this would equate to about a 3.6% increase in overall handle. Over double last year's increase of 1.6%, which in itself was the largest jump in the past 16 years.

Tracks throughout Ireland, England and Europe generally identify the individual races by the off time of the race rather than the race number. So, for example, on Saturday at Goodwood in England, the races were the 1:35, the 2:05, the 2:40, the 3:15, the 3:50, the 4:25, the 5:00, and the 5:35. The races are more closely defined by the off time than they are by the race number.

The race stewards and racing officials pay very close attention to getting the races off on the proper designated post time. As a result, the simulcasting of the British, Irish and French races is much better organized and maximizes revenue better than simulcast races in the U.S.

Full report: https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/view-rail-coordinating-post-times-across-america-would-be-worth-millions/

Reason #693 why North American racing needs a centralized authority if it wants any hope of surviving.

[Tom]

It only took 10 years to get common silk colors...this one might actually require some thinking about it.

At time when only 2 tracks are running, and BOTH are owned by the same people, they can't FIGURE IT OUT!

We are not dealing with intelligent people at race tracks.
They are not like us.

[JerryBoyle]

Both of these things would be great. It's two small things that would go a long way towards centralization. Neither requires a technology shift. Who are the largest race track runners in the US? Stronach and CDI? Someone needs to get them together in a room...

Edit: One or two large teams should take it upon themselves to get this going. They have the clout to bring it up and it may buy them some good will from people like us. Not to mention both would be good for the teams

[dilanesp]

It only took 10 years to get common silk colors...this one might actually require some thinking about it.

At time when only 2 tracks are running, and BOTH are owned by the same people, they can't FIGURE IT OUT!

We are not dealing with intelligent people at race tracks.
They are not like us.

By the way, we still have tracks who refuse to use the common saddlecloth colors in their "big" races, because they want it to look "special".

[Poindexter]

The race tracks know that your horse racing dollar is only going to last so long (they can play dumb all they want but deep inside they know the truth). They want to make sure you lose at their track and not their competitors track, while you still have money to lose or shift to another form of gambling.

The art of preserving what should be the best gambling game around, but has been transformed into one of the worst.

[maliksealy210]

How about making tracks stick to post times as a starting point. I'm looking at you Gulfstream

[jay68802]

Dogs and cats living together in harmony? Tracks working together?:D

The tracks are trying to make the most of their handle, and how to maximize it.
Working together does not cross their minds.

[Tom]

What minds?

[AlsoEligible]

The race tracks know that your horse racing dollar is only going to last so long (they can play dumb all they want but deep inside they know the truth). They want to make sure you lose at their track and not their competitors track, while you still have money to lose or shift to another form of gambling.

That's exactly right....and to a certain extent it's hard to blame them for that attitude. They're in the business of making money after all, not helping their competition. And while you can make the argument that a rising tide would lift all boats, good luck getting that through the head of a track/corporate executive, whose only priority is maximizing profits over the next three quarters, or else he'll be fired and replaced with the next guy in line. No one has the luxury of thinking long-term.

Track operators are never going to willingly come together and agree on something like this "for the good of the sport". Nor are they willingly going to cede their power and influence to a central authority who can force them to make decisions that are for the good of the sport. Maybe if we get to a point where there's only 10-15 tracks left in the country, and they finally realize they need to work together or die separately. Maybe.

[wisconsin]

It only took 10 years to get common silk colors...this one might actually require some thinking about it.

At time when only 2 tracks are running, and BOTH are owned by the same people, they can't FIGURE IT OUT!

We are not dealing with intelligent people at race tracks.
They are not like us.


There are still tracks out there that refuse to show a timely stretch replay in slow-mo for those playing tri's and supers. They still think we really care about seeing the winner turn around and head back to the winner's circle or think we care how big the pools were.

Absolutely clueless production crews.

[wisconsin]

How about making tracks stick to post times as a starting point. I'm looking at you Gulfstream

Gulfstream is the harness track of thoroughbred racing.

[castaway01]

That's exactly right....and to a certain extent it's hard to blame them for that attitude. They're in the business of making money after all, not helping their competition. And while you can make the argument that a rising tide would lift all boats, good luck getting that through the head of a track/corporate executive, whose only priority is maximizing profits over the next three quarters, or else he'll be fired and replaced with the next guy in line. No one has the luxury of thinking long-term.

Track operators are never going to willingly come together and agree on something like this "for the good of the sport". Nor are they willingly going to cede their power and influence to a central authority who can force them to make decisions that are for the good of the sport. Maybe if we get to a point where there's only 10-15 tracks left in the country, and they finally realize they need to work together or die separately. Maybe.

It's not just going to help the competition though, it would benefit everyone if the major tracks could space races appropriately.

Yeah, I know it will never happen.... :bang:

[JerryBoyle]

It's not just going to help the competition though, it would benefit everyone if the major tracks could space races appropriately.

Yeah, I know it will never happen.... :bang:

Why will it never happen? Looking glass half full here, but if you HAD to get it to happen, what would you do? What if one or 2 teams withheld betting for a day/weekend/etc? Could it get the powers that be talking? I'm not saying that is possible, but what are some ideas for how we could get it done?

Edit: Ignore "Why will it never happen". I get that those running the racing industry are heavily entrenched in their ways. I'm asking, if you wanted to devise a way to get them to act, what would you do?

[Poindexter]

Why will it never happen? Looking glass half full here, but if you HAD to get it to happen, what would you do? What if one or 2 teams withheld betting for a day/weekend/etc? Could it get the powers that be talking? I'm not saying that is possible, but what are some ideas for how we could get it done?

Edit: Ignore "Why will it never happen". I get that those running the racing industry are heavily entrenched in their ways. I'm asking, if you wanted to devise a way to get them to act, what would you do?

You have to convince them that there is a benefit. So if Santa Anita and Churchill Downs have overlapping post times you have to convince one of them that they need to move their post time up or back 5 minutes. Now logically thinking one would expect them to jump at the idea. After all the horse player now has time to comfortably bet both tracks.

My belief is that both fear that in opening up that opportunity they are jeopardizing their own handle. The horse player that may have $200 to churn for the day may give 40 or 50% of their handle to the other track and they opened the door for that happening. Now obviously they are ignoring the fact that people betting the other track will now bet more with them.

But it goes back to the fact this game is overpriced and the majority of horseplayers are going to exhaust their weekly or monthly "gambling allotment" fairly quickly (especially when you entice them to play the superexotics with jackpots and lower takeouts and carryover, but unfortunately the superexotics take a big financial outlay and only have a tiny chance of hitting) When the public is facing takeouts of over 30% (which is the case when you factor in the skill of the Whales and rebates they receive and the excessive takeout) their gambling dollar doesn't last very long. Opening the door for a competitor to get a chance at it doesn't strike me as high on management's priority list, although I certainly would not go as far as to say it would never happen.

I am sure if enough of us wrote the track management letters saying that I bet x amount of dollars and the fact that your post time constantly overlaps with this other track, costs your track x amount of dollars in handle from me, that may sway their opinion. They may be shortsighted in their policies, customer satisfaction has never been in their playbook, risk taking is certainly completely out of the norm for them, but they do have the job of maximizing handle.

[Denny]

Gulfstream makes a lot of money cheating other tracks out of air time and delaying posts.

What makes anyone think they'll change what they're doing???

[098poi]

How about making tracks stick to post times as a starting point. I'm looking at you Gulfstream

The only good thing about Gulfstream is that when it's post time I know I have plenty of time to put my wash into the dryer and not miss the race.

[alhattab]

I don’t find the results believable. Due to overlapping post times people are sitting on enough capital to generate $400 million in churn? Annual handle is around $11 billion. I don’t find this believable. Also agree w other posters re competitive aspects. Maybe if the NBA and NHL better coordinated their game schedules, viewership would increase for both of them, but they (arguably) compete for the same viewers so why would they be compelled to coordinate? They may but they aren’t compelled to do so. And there are those pesky anti trust laws that might get in the way.

[Tom]

Why will it never happen?

Because the tracks do not care.
NYRA is never going to wait on a race at another track, even if it is the Big one at Mountainaire - which should be run at NIGHT anyway!

It makes no sense to gt them talking when no one can get them thinking.

Racing is a minor league business at very level.
Even the Great Saratoga took back seat to College softball at ESPN.

[Cholly]

Because the tracks do not care.
NYR

It makes no sense to gt them talking when no one can get them thinking.





Well put!

[Hambletonian]

I don’t find the results believable. Due to overlapping post times people are sitting on enough capital to generate $400 million in churn? Annual handle is around $11 billion. I don’t find this believable. Also agree w other posters re competitive aspects. Maybe if the NBA and NHL better coordinated their game schedules, viewership would increase for both of them, but they (arguably) compete for the same viewers so why would they be compelled to coordinate? They may but they aren’t compelled to do so. And there are those pesky anti trust laws that might get in the way.

Exactly.