Marketing the game

[andicap]

Wasn't there a threat on here within the last year that had suggestions for how to market racing better to the masses??

If not, I'm interested in hearing people's suggestions. Not necessarily getting them to the track, but interested in playing the horses.


For example, I firmly believe you have to get people involved at least a little bit in picking their own horses so they feel enpowered and enjoy themselves. But it shouldn't feel like work. People should believe they have a chance to win a lot of money with a modicum of effort, that their odds are much better than the lottery.The sport should not necessarily try to get people out to the track, but even to nice simulcast centers where they can have a nice day or evening out, a good meal, and maybe win a lot of money. You're competing for the entertainment dollar, not just the gambling dollar.

Lots of people have been to the races or a betting theater once in their lives so they know what racing is like. The trick is to get them back again. I know a bunch of people who have gone and had a good time but don't go back because they just don't think about it.


1. At betting theatres, give quick seminars on reading the program to novices and easy ways to find contenders based on speed figures. People find the Form too daunting but would appreciate picking their own horses using some skill. Offer as alternative to pure luck of the lottery.

2. Have mini-handicapping contests for $2 player with free entries and a decent prize. Use the contest to teach people about exotic betting and the chance to win a lot more money than just betting the favorite to show. Maybe the contest is whoever can hit the most trifectas or the highest price trifecta or something like that.

3. Making the OTB theaters into a destination in itself, not just a place to play the horses or have a meal. Have a playroom for the kids, put in a super ice cream/sundae bar, a video game room, hell even show a movie for them. The parents will love the chance to have time by themselves, have a nice meal and gamble a bit.
Give the place a hint of glamour at night with some dancing, or make it into a theme-style bar-restaurent with lots of horsey stuff like a sports pub. (I don't think a night club would work -- Sports Haven tried that in Conn. and kids came to dance and meet women but no one played the horses.)

4. Roving ticket sellers. At Gulfstream Park's restaurent a guy comes around to take bets. I can certainly get off my duff to bet but lots of people would appreciate the luxury and it might entice more people to put down a few bucks who otherwise wouldn't. (The ticket seller shouldn't be a tout or salesman, just a convenience.)

5. Advertising. Go, Baby, Go was not terrible effective because nobody says "Go Baby Go" at the track. I mean, don't you always hear, "C'mon 3!! Go, 3! Run you pig!!!!"??

The lottery and slot machines (VLTs too) are effective because they promise the chance to win a lot of money with little or no effort. Racing should embrace its greedy side and advertise the pick 3's and pick 4's that can win a thousand dollars or more. (The pick 6 is bit too daunting and difficult I believe). Ads should show how you can turn $50 into a small fortune with a little luck and have a lot of fun.

[sq764]

Originally posted by andicap
Wasn't there a threat on here within the last year that had suggestions for how to market racing better to the masses??

If not, I'm interested in hearing people's suggestions. Not necessarily getting them to the track, but interested in playing the horses.


For example, I firmly believe you have to get people involved at least a little bit in picking their own horses so they feel enpowered and enjoy themselves. But it shouldn't feel like work. People should believe they have a chance to win a lot of money with a modicum of effort, that their odds are much better than the lottery.The sport should not necessarily try to get people out to the track, but even to nice simulcast centers where they can have a nice day or evening out, a good meal, and maybe win a lot of money. You're competing for the entertainment dollar, not just the gambling dollar.

Lots of people have been to the races or a betting theater once in their lives so they know what racing is like. The trick is to get them back again. I know a bunch of people who have gone and had a good time but don't go back because they just don't think about it.


1. At betting theatres, give quick seminars on reading the program to novices and easy ways to find contenders based on speed figures. People find the Form too daunting but would appreciate picking their own horses using some skill. Offer as alternative to pure luck of the lottery.

2. Have mini-handicapping contests for $2 player with free entries and a decent prize. Use the contest to teach people about exotic betting and the chance to win a lot more money than just betting the favorite to show. Maybe the contest is whoever can hit the most trifectas or the highest price trifecta or something like that.

3. Making the OTB theaters into a destination in itself, not just a place to play the horses or have a meal. Have a playroom for the kids, put in a super ice cream/sundae bar, a video game room, hell even show a movie for them. The parents will love the chance to have time by themselves, have a nice meal and gamble a bit.
Give the place a hint of glamour at night with some dancing, or make it into a theme-style bar-restaurent with lots of horsey stuff like a sports pub. (I don't think a night club would work -- Sports Haven tried that in Conn. and kids came to dance and meet women but no one played the horses.)

4. Roving ticket sellers. At Gulfstream Park's restaurent a guy comes around to take bets. I can certainly get off my duff to bet but lots of people would appreciate the luxury and it might entice more people to put down a few bucks who otherwise wouldn't. (The ticket seller shouldn't be a tout or salesman, just a convenience.)

5. Advertising. Go, Baby, Go was not terrible effective because nobody says "Go Baby Go" at the track. I mean, don't you always hear, "C'mon 3!! Go, 3! Run you pig!!!!"??

The lottery and slot machines (VLTs too) are effective because they promise the chance to win a lot of money with little or no effort. Racing should embrace its greedy side and advertise the pick 3's and pick 4's that can win a thousand dollars or more. (The pick 6 is bit too daunting and difficult I believe). Ads should show how you can turn $50 into a small fortune with a little luck and have a lot of fun.


4) Dover Downs has a sweet setup.. They have a restaurant overlooking the track and while you eat, girls come by with ticket machines so you can bet during dinner..

[rokitman]

I've brought a lot of people to the track/OTB for the first time. It's broken down pretty simple for me-if they win, they are anxious to go again. If not, they are indifferent. They didn't have to win much. In fact, even if they broke even that meant they cashed tickets and were happy."Free entertainment." Saratoga is the exception. But that is some other Feng Shui at work there.

Steering them into the exotics is exactly the wrong way to go, in my opinion. The pick 3 will make one Happy and Coming Back Soon new player for every several hundred Lost My Scratch and Aint Comin' Back. Exacta's will just bleed a novice.

I don't think the Dumb Lottery Bettor is the market for horse racing to pursue. There are already plenty of DLB options here in NY. Why would they want to move out of their rut? Remember, we're talking about the dumb and lazy.

Horse racing is baseball box-score madness (had a severe case of that as a boy) with a great kicker. You can bet on those boxscores and take some shmope's money. Or you can die trying. Probably the latter but it sure will fill up your spare time in the mean-time. I think the focus should be strictly on lowering the average age of those male players that horse racing hooks. Us boys are math and engineering. The gals other better-smelling stuff. Fighting Ma Nature is a bad bet. The NTRA is already wasting time and money on that front.

I would bombard 22-30 year old males (I'm giving them a few years to find a wife) with FREE racing information. Do a campaign akin to AOL's insane CD sending plague. Get the box-scores in front of the boys. And let the male ego do the rest.

[ceejay]

A few ideas, Andy.

Make bet minimums lower to make it possible for small players to make a score. 25-cent minimums on all wager units with minimum ticket size of $2.

Maybe allow new players (special windows?) to call a $5 superfecta and have it cost $5 by having the computer calculate the nominal bet size.

Make basic Eqibase programs free, or charge $2 but give a $2 wager coupon.

Have a "newby" area of the track/teletheater, where experienced handicapper-employees can be roaming to provide help with reading forms, programs or developing tickets or strategies.

[chickenhead]

make it easier to understand "champion" horses.....all successful sports have some version of a regular season, playoff, etc.....or like Nascar, have a points system...gives people something to follow, root for their favorite horse(s).

I think one of the reasons the TC is relatively popular is that it is something people can understand...three and done.

[kenwoodallpromos]

The easier it is to bet the better for newbies.
Have a special "field bet" so people can make 1 $2 bet on all horses 10-1 or over on the M/L.

[TOOZ]

The nice thing about a week in Vegas is that you can find a handicapping contest daily at one of the casinos, normally at 10 bucks per entry. Why tracks don't have weekly contests, I'll never know. Newbies, for 10 bucks, can put in their entry, sit back, have drinks and dinner, follow their picks, while learning the game. 10 bucks per lesson. Also, although not a fan, the BC head to head bets at least shortened the field for any novice that wanted to make simple bets. Sometimes, being able to say I won is more important than the payoff. Positive reinforcement.
Why tracks can't put together some three horse head to head bets during a card, again baffles me. Lower the takeout on these head to heads and make it even better. Is management lazy, greedy, ignorant or all three? There's a head to head bet for you.

[BIG HIT]

To avoid long lines when you buy your tickit it has the odd's on it.And that's the pay off you get reguardless if it go up\dn after.That wayyou won't have long line's.Just a thought

[JackS]

Make several days during the month "free" entrance.
As in Vegas, a food specialty ridiclously low priced.
As Ceejay suggested ,a free program.
Finally, something going on at the track between races besides slots. Handicappers may not be bored with the 20-30 minutes between races but non-cappers will.

Many tracks are using parts of these suggestions already. A big incentive to get people interested in racing might be a more liberal attitude towards the cost of admission.
An ongoing training session for all empolyees in the fine art of dealing with the public. I haven't been to a track yet that didn't have a few sarcastic vendors and sellers. I take this for granted, a novice might not.
A small strip mall for car rentals, hotel reservations and tours. Also a one of a kind specialy shop or top notch resturant.

[Valuist]

Marketing racing has never worked. Lower the takeout and put more money in peoples pockets and they'll come back again and again. Those Go Baby Go ads were a complete waste of money.

[Suff]

I can't think of a game or sport more expensive to learn than Horse Racing.

I suppose if you want to fly aircraft or do speed boating. But as far as spontanously gaming at the race track.... I can't see it happening or growing. Except the brief spikes surrounding the Triple crown and the other big races. The closest thing I can think of is Golf. When I moved to Florida I blew 5 grand buying clubs, joining a country club and getting the customary Ashford and Greg Norman apparell to look the part. Then I spent 12-24 hours a week losing balls on expensive golf courses on my way too many rounds that I stopped scoring after 110 through 15 holes. By the end of one year I could shoot an 85 on my best day and that probably cost me 20 grand to get that good.

Horse racing is along those lines. There is Virtually no way a begginner can decipher not only the condition book... But the Past performances. Thats not even including track bias's and the circuit specific angles that play out differently.

Allowance Optional Claimer C37,000NW3X-N. that have'nt won $19,008 twice at a Mile or more, Or have'nt won $38,000 in 6 months. Non winners of 2 races at a mile or more allowed 3 lbs. Non winners of one allowed 5 pounds.


One of the reasons I like (d) NYRA was thier conditions were simple. Maiden allowance to 43K NW1 to 43K NW2, the occassinal NW3X then either a straight money allowance or a stakes. If you did'nt fit there then you had nowhere to go but Honest Purse/claiming price races. Very few places for a trainer to go with stock but up or down. When NYRA started writing 100K claimers with 37K purses because Trainers did'nt want to lose thier stock it irratated me. But when they started those Optional Claimers last year I wanted to break down and cry.

Calders claimers are comical. 100K claimers with 18K purses. Please. And that was before the data providers started matching Purse with Condition so you'd know. Some poor slob off the street see's a 100K claimer from Calder shipping into a Churchill 30K'r and think he's going to romp. Even now You'll see the PP's Look like CLM45-50 (22K). Hows a newbie going to get a fair shake when he has to decipher all this?

When you talk to trainers about uniformity in the condition books they look at you like you have 3 heads. Thats what they do.. They chase condition books all around the region or country. Or the Racing secratarys keep writing new conditions to keep stock on the grounds. It's endless.

[JackS]

I guess someone has to say it so here goes- We really need to get children in their teens interested. Gamblers and cappers need no incentive, they'll always be there.
Hard to do without inciting anti horse racing hysteria.
Popular rock groups," Date Nite" dancing with special on track incentives etc,etc. Which leads to the question, "do all (any) states allow children under 18yo to enter a track un- accompanied? PR directed at teens by any establishment that promotes an eventual opportunity to gamble may not be taken lightly, although Vegas does seem to excell at this endevor.


Maybe a few family oriented PR guys in Nevada could lend a hand.

[Buckeye]

Emphasize the fact that intellect can translate into dollars. Being honest and forthright is the way to go. The rewards for superior analysis are real and tangible. Stop marketing the sport as an exibition of beauty and focus on the possible rewards.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Thank you Suff! I had an idea but always forget what the () # was.
I never did really figure out a way to handicap correctly based on All the conditons listed.
I still wonder if 2lb. off for not winning in 6 months as opposed to not winning in 3 months really mattered.
Maybe one big monitor instructing exactly which live or simulcasting race is up next to bet on with a scan of post parade or paddock and program odds will help.

[azibuck]

Less time between races. This would probably bother real players.

A person goes to a casino with $100 or $50. They can play slots or whatever and make that last 4 hours. But it's four hours of nearly constant action. They've made hundreds of wagers.

I guess I'm getting at attention span here, but I don't want to get into the downfall of America and ADD and a whole discussion like that.

Same guy goes to the track with same money. The money lasts four hours, but he's had just 8-10 pieces of action.

Here's my wacked out idea to make it work, and I'll make it work at my home track, Finger Lakes. Have a dual meet. Thorobreds and Quarterhorses. 16 races a day, no more than 15 minutes between races. Races alternate between Tbreds and 1/4s.

There are plenty of pigs out there that can go 2f. Jockeys? Well, how about you raise the weight limit for the Quarterhorses? So you have a set of Tbred jocks, and a whole other set of 1/4 jocks. The 1/4's can be cheap stock, cheap purses, so any trainers doing dual work could have assistants handle things so as not to be time-crunched to get the next horse to the gate.

Basically, as one set of horses is leaving the track, the horses for the next race are in the post parade.