The Industry of Racing

[bigmack]

(From the article below)
The racing industry needs paradigm-shifting thought to propel itself into modern times. Horseracing is actually custom built for today's society. We live in an information age, where news from around the globe is at our fingertips. We also live in a society with a very short attention span, an era of 60-second video clips and 10-second sound bites. Horseracing is one of the only sports that, from beginning to end, literally spans merely minutes. What better sports entertainment could there be for our rapid-fire culture?

Horse racing is in a position that many other industries have found themselves in over the past decade - adapt or die. Once among the nation's most popular sports, its decline over the past decades is largely blamed on the failure of the industry to adapt to new technology - television. Now the internet is threatening to drive racing into extinction. And while many might not think that offshore wagering is what can save the horseracing industry, it's easy to make an argument as to why it just might.
http://majorwager.com/index.cfm?page=27&show_column=480

On a side note, as in this fellows #4 point: I've always thought that racing would be well served if it had some sort of media support that could assemble clips from various races throughout the week and make them available to local stations for sports coverage to be aired on a day that they need material. Letting the drama of the game speak for itself in various races, without it having to necessarily be a stakes race, would keep the game at least a story throughout the year rather than simply in May. Arguably, there are several races each week packed with drama and the more people that are exposed to them the greater the possibility that new arrivals would gravitate to this great game.

[Indulto]

(From the article below)
... Now the internet is threatening to drive racing into extinction. And while many might not think that offshore wagering is what can save the horseracing industry, it's easy to make an argument as to why it just might.
http://majorwager.com/index.cfm?page=27&show_column=480

... Letting the drama of the game speak for itself in various races, without it having to necessarily be a stakes race, would keep the game at least a story throughout the year rather than simply in May. Arguably, there are several races each week packed with drama and the more people that are exposed to them the greater the possibility that new arrivals would gravitate to this great game.BgM,
Thanks for the link which was previously off my radar. Best article I've read in years. Where has this guy been hiding?

From the same article:… NTRA president Alex Waldop was recently quoted as saying that, as regards the WTO case, "the only logical solution, perhaps not a practical solution, is to withdraw gaming from GATS", the General Agreement on Trade in Services at the heart of the WTO case. In other words - forget open markets, just give us a monopoly and put an end to the debate.

This tactic has not served the racing industry well; now they realize that passage of the UIGEA was not the political miracle it first appeared to be. The "legal" wagering providers like Youbet are having just as much trouble processing money transfers as the offshore sites, according to industry sources. Essentially, the UIGEA has left horseracing worse off than it was before. If horseracing as a sport wants to survive, it needs to focus on its core business, which is not wagering, but (surprisingly) racing horses.

… The problem is, of course, that there is a big potential market of gamblers out there who wouldn't go to an OTB facility or open a phone/internet account just to bet horseracing, especially if they don't already know anything about it.

… the UIGEA has put enough roadblocks in the way that casual players won't bother betting horseracing offshore anyway, and few casual players will go through the hassle of setting up a special account at Youbet simply to wager on a few races on Derby Day or during the Breeder's Cup.Sadly, it undermines what NYRA heralds as an important component of it's integrity policy, but presented as the writer does, the argument is persuasive that all the track operators need to change their respective acts, and not just the UIGEA.

[gIracing]

Besides the whole "Go Baby Go" thing, what has the NTRA done to promote horse racing as a sport?

that's the first thing. Although I like making money at the same time, to me, I truely see horse racing as a SPORT. Something you talk about with friends, not just about speed figures and such. The avg person knows nothing about horse racing becuase you have to go out of your way to find it.

Look at Poker. Perfect example. I don't know anyone who played poker 5 years ago. Then comes along the US Poker Tournment on ESPN, now everyone knows how to play Texas Hold Em.

With the internet, the world has gotten smaller. I watch Australian racing every night. The potential that horse racing has is great but I don't think people seem to grasp what needs to be done to secure the future of the sport.

[JustRalph]

(From the article below)

On a side note, as in this fellows #4 point: I've always thought that racing would be well served if it had some sort of media support that could assemble clips from various races throughout the week and make them available to local stations for sports coverage to be aired on a day that they need material.

No way they bump anything for horse racing. The NFL and Baseball dominate. Nascar is the second biggest spectator sport in America and it gets almost no coverage. Nascar actually requires the companies that cover races on Sunday to produce a show about racing (with a 75% bias for Nascar) to air on ESPN or "Major Broadcast channels" in the contract they sign for race coverage. They have to force them to produce coverage if they want to air the race on Sundays. Your point about them having days where they need material is interesting. But they never "need material" anymore. With Satellite coverage,,,,,,,,,,,there is always an abundance of highlights to run.

Nascar used to pay for air time and produce some of their own shows. This was the only coverage you could get. Maybe horse racing should think about that.

[bigmack]

they never "need material" anymore. With Satellite coverage,,,,,,,,,,,there is always an abundance of highlights to run.
A fellow golfer who has lined my pockets for years through his inability to recognize that he's a rotten golfer owns a company that books guests on stations throughout the country hawkin' books or gadgets and they're always looking for fillers.

You're probably right that local sports coverage would find little reason to air clips of races. Multiple, dynamic finishes might prove to be of interest to give them a little jolt in the cast, however.

[GaryG]

When racing used to draw big crowds there plenty who bet on jockeys, colors, numbers or who knows what. Now that crowd is buying lottery tickets or visiting one of the casinos that have popped up everywhere, not to mention online gambling. Add to that the hard core like us who now go to OTBs instead of the track. I lived in CA for years just to play the horses. But that is another story. Racing was also big news on the sports pages (as was boxing), not on a back page if at all. I don't have any answer, just wanted to vent. I am just glad I have a convenient OTB and HRTV.

[kenwoodallpromos]

You had me going there for awhile, until thenpart about the weekly Wire-To-Wire coverage of the big races!!!
Yes, maybe with enough clipping, etc it can be good for viewing or the internet.
But it still has only leaders' times, no standard "length", is 42 MPH, goes around once every 1/2 hour on a track where the view is obstructed from many seats.
And then there is the phanton non-racing "fans"!!LOL!!

[bigmack]

You had me going there for awhile, until thenpart about the weekly Wire-To-Wire coverage of the big races!!!
Yes, maybe with enough clipping, etc it can be good for viewing or the internet.
But it still has only leaders' times, no standard "length", is 42 MPH, goes around once every 1/2 hour on a track where the view is obstructed from many seats.
And then there is the phanton non-racing "fans"!!LOL!!
I share with you the sign for almost as I feel you almost made sense. What in the world are you talking about?

http://lifeprint.com/asl101/gifs-animated/almost.gif

[Kelso]

When racing used to draw big crowds there plenty who bet on jockeys, colors, numbers or who knows what. Now that crowd is buying lottery tickets or visiting one of the casinos that have popped up everywhere, not to mention online gambling.

<snip>

I am just glad I have a convenient OTB and HRTV.


I think this explains completely the empty grandstands. Racing's gambling monopoly is finished.

However, is attendance the "problem" facing the racing business today? Do tracks depend so much on admissions, programs and overpriced sandwiches that they now can't survive financially? Or is an audience not really all that important, provided the takeout keeps rolling in from other locations?

From the frequent mentions I've read here of steadily increasing handle - now substantially augmented by slot profits - it doesn't seem that the US racing businessis, on the whole, is losing money. Some tracks are closing and other tracks are opening. Many (most?) of the more venerable tracks still run meets.

As a kid, I greatly enjoyed poring over my late aunt's DFRs, and always got a kick out of her calling in bets to her bookie. (All of which worried hell out of my mother. :D ) I often watched the Saturday race-of-the-week on NYC's Channel 5. However, I didn't watch my first live race, or place my first bet on a horse, until just last summer.

When I finally went to the track, I expected it to be simply a different way to spend a sunny day with my sons ... who were already semi-regulars. WOW, what a shock! I didn't have just a good time, I had a GREAT time!! Won a couple, lost even more, yelled at lots of horses and jocks ... and experienced one of the most thoroughly pleasant afternoons I have ever known.

My point is that, despite an already well-developed awareness and appreciation of horse racing, it took me more than five decades - as well as what I regarded as somewhat of an occasion - to finally visit a track. The delay was due to nothing other than inertia (read, ABSENSE of MOTIVATION) ... and once I got there, I was hooked. Putting a couple dollars on a horse and cheering him on is a genuinely good time.

So, to the extent that the gate is viewed as a problem by any track, I think all they need to do is get more newbies to the rail to scream for their two bucks' worth on some nag's nose. Just once. Many (probably not most, but still many) will come back for more. Particularly on a sunny day, it can be addictive.

And there are lots of innovative-yet-simple ways to get them there. Be lavish with the passes. ("VIP Pass" sounds sooo much more worthwhile than "free admission," doesn't it?) Distribute/promote them through the local radio stations, hamburger joints and liquor stores.

Give (date-specific?) passes to area PTAs that they can sell for a dollar ... redeemable upon admission for a $2 betting voucher. Throw a picnic ... free hot dogs and a couple beer/soda tickets ... for anyone showing a current college ID. Put out a spread for a different volunteer fire company or first aid squad each week and give them a $100 betting voucher ... winnings, if any, to be paid to their treasury.

If the track has slots, BETTER YET! Award a $2 betting voucher (HORSES ONLY) to everyone who hits a $50 jackpot, or to everyone wearing green at 15 minutes to first post on St. Patrick's Day, or whatever. Give them a REASON to move to the rail or TV screen and start yelling. Give them something NEW AND DIFFERENT to do while they wait for their favorite machine to come available.

In other words, tracks need only play pusher in order to addict a larger onsite crowd.



But I don't think either attendance or handle is racing's real problem. I think it's ethics: drugs, abusive trainers, inconsistant rules, late wagers, and, to a lesser extent, excessive takeout despite enormous slot subsidies. (And I still have this thing with cold-weather racing; but that's just me.) Even if these situations are not actually as prevalent as they sometimes seem, perception is everything.

And if they aren't solved in relatively short order, I think the business of racing will soon enough see those rising handles reversing course. Big Brother will wield a much heavier club than he already does; and even many among the longtime faithful will take a walk when they decide the game isn't sufficiently square. I've read as much from several veterans here at PA, and I haven't been "on board" all that long.

I hope the racing business takes all the necessary steps to stay in business. I want spend many more summer days along a rail .. somewhere.

[Indulto]

… When I finally went to the track, I expected it to be simply a different way to spend a sunny day with my sons ... who were already semi-regulars. WOW, what a shock! I didn't have just a good time, I had a GREAT time!! Won a couple, lost even more, yelled at lots of horses and jocks ... and experienced one of the most thoroughly pleasant afternoons I have ever known.

My point is that, despite an already well-developed awareness and appreciation of horse racing, it took me more than five decades - as well as what I regarded as somewhat of an occasion - to finally visit a track. The delay was due to nothing other than inertia (read, ABSENSE of MOTIVATION) ... and once I got there, I was hooked. Putting a couple dollars on a horse and cheering him on is a genuinely good time.

So, to the extent that the gate is viewed as a problem by any track, I think all they need to do is get more newbies to the rail to scream for their two bucks' worth on some nag's nose. Just once. Many (probably not most, but still many) will come back for more. Particularly on a sunny day, it can be addictive.5X,
What a genuine pleasure it was to read the description of your maiden venture to the track which mirrored my own over four decades ago.

I too am a fair-weather follower of the breed. The friend who got me started always celebrated Mudder’s Day, but never in my presence. I wonder what percentage of today’s off-track bettors have never actually been to the track.

To your excellent suggestions for incentives to get people out to the track, I would only add that tracks should make recruiters out of existing attendees:

-free parking for cars with more than one person

-free admission for women and/or 2nd patron of pair with the same surname

-free program and PP for track card to each qualifier for free admission in the preceding (not for simulcast players)

-vouchers for a single P6 play and a single Superfecta play with each paid admission

[boomman]

5x and Indulto: Excellent posts and excellent suggestions for increasing fan attendance. I will certainly pass these on to my track! Boomer

[kenwoodallpromos]

"racing would be well served if it had some sort of media support that could assemble clips from various races throughout the week and make them available to local stations for sports coverage to be aired on a day that they need material."
Sorry, I guess you do not remember the TBred show Wire-To-Wire that just went belly up.
"Wire To Wire" Moves to NTRA.com, ESPN.com - NTRA
The new “Wire to Wire” will be a set of short, original Webisodes—produced every Thursday—that features previews of the upcoming week's top races, Thoroughbred racing news, and handicapping ..."
Used to be on TV (ESPN).

[DanG]

I would bet > 90% of us can point to one person who taught us an appreciation and understanding of the game.

For me it was my brother. Without him I would be working restaurants until I take that last dirt nap. (Not knocking the restaurant business BTW…It is however one of the most difficult professions man has ever created.)

I in turn while living in New Jersey taught the game to a few friends, a couple of which still play occasionally today. When I went serious and moved to Nevada I did not help create one new patron to the best of my knowledge and virtually only associated with other serious players.

Currently I play from home 99% of the time and again, I have not introduced a player to the game in many years…at least directly.

As stated very well by “Kelso” and others…the “newbie” in racing hardly stands a chance even if you get them in the front door of the track. The track is NOT a friendly environment if you don’t now a thing about it. It has its own set of rules right down to the terminology that must be used.

As helpful as this board is for example (and it is read by so many who are really inside this game.) just let a “newbie” ask a naive racing question and there is a chance their ancestry will be called into question at some point by some of the more “candid” posters.

Have a “newbie” 2 minutes to post at Aqueduct ask a teller how to bet $2 on the #5 horse and watch that person have his mother brought up in conversation behind them. Chances are they are out the door never to be back.

Have that same “newbie” in a group of people with one knowledgeable hand in the bunch and there chances of a positive experience go up 10 fold.

I’m not smart enough to know how to “fix” racing and reverse the trend. I do know that racing had better figure out a way to get all the serious players back on the premises through real incentives, such as the Suncoast provided Ernie Daulman.

I’m not saying all of the “whales” will become Shepard’s to aspiring players, but at the very least many off-shore dollars will be accounted for. (BTW, this number is far more than the industry realizes IMO.)

In addition; like them or not “Whales” create interest. Growing up at Monmouth Park I watched a man crush cold $2,000 exactas on a stakes filled Saturday. The word spread up and down the teller’s row and through many of the regular players. These people / events are good for business and forcing them to stay home or at times forced to move only exacerbates the problem IMO.

[Indulto]

... Currently I play from home 99% of the time and again, I have not introduced a player to the game in many years…at least directly.

... I do know that racing had better figure out a way to get all the serious players back on the premises through real incentives, such as the Suncoast provided Ernie Daulman.

I’m not saying all of the “whales” will become Shepard’s to aspiring players, but at the very least many off-shore dollars will be accounted for. (BTW, this number is far more than the industry realizes IMO.)

In addition; like them or not “Whales” create interest.

... These people / events are good for business and forcing them to stay home or at times forced to move only exacerbates the problem IMO.DG,
What could tracks do that would make whales come in from the cold rather than remain in whatever environment they have already achieved success and which is probably more convenient?

Would you prefer to play ontrack? What incentives did Suncoast offer?

Big bettors and winners didn't just create interest, but were also proof to newbies that success at the endeaver was achievable. They were never disliked when I got started, and of course they were idolized by younger players almost the way rock stars are today. It was fun to watch the regulars at the $50 windows as well as the people who would try to get in a position to hear what they were betting. Of course the playing field was level in those days; only the window denominations separated players.

Even today, any resentment appears to be directed primarily at the institutions that provide whales with their advantage than at the beneficiaries themselves, since horseplayers are all about acting in one's self-interest.

I can see it now: an NYRA TV ad ala E.F. Hutton where everyone's head is tilted to hear the next utterance of a track-resident whale. ;)

[DanG]

Good points Indulto,

I think I misstated the “resentment” toward the Whales. As you said they do inspire regulars and can become larger than life characters at times.

As far as what incentives can be offered large players obviously rebates depending on handle are at the top of the list.

The Suncoast for example can comp you a room, all your handicapping materials, internet needs, food, personal teller and parking etc….the list is endless. (Coast Casinos were very good to local players when I lived there.)

If Tampa Bay Downs was serious about recruiting me for example they should offer a trial period to “rate” my play the same way casino’s do and offer competitive rebates that can be achieved domestically. Any part of a players gambling “nut” is fair game to entice them to play on track. (I realize that “rebates” are largely out of the tracks scope and requires the madness that is often the state legislator.)

Having said that all things being equal I don’t think I would play on-track if given the choice. I can concentrate much better at home and I like the flexibility and lack of a commute. I may not be a good example because many do miss the social interaction. One of my partners thinks I’m crazy for not playing in Nevada. He can’t imagine not having the sights and smells to stimulate him.

I took the long approach to try and say most of what I hear from track management is “we have to create new fans”…While this is true, they are leaving so much money on the table by not catering to their existing serious ones.

[skate]

(From the article below)
The racing industry needs paradigm-shifting thought to propel itself into modern times. Horseracing is actually custom built for today's society. We live in an information age, where news from around the globe is at our fingertips. We also live in a society with a very short attention span, an era of 60-second video clips and 10-second sound bites. Horseracing is one of the only sports that, from beginning to end, literally spans merely minutes. What better sports entertainment could there be for our rapid-fire culture?



agree, good call.

actually, i would consider "night at the races" already Here.

from Philly park they put a show on, weekly. races from ,SA, GS, DEL etc.

because of the high amount of fans(most of Any Sport) and events (most of any sport), no place else to go.

[Indulto]

... Having said that all things being equal I don’t think I would play on-track if given the choice. I can concentrate much better at home and I like the flexibility and lack of a commute. I may not be a good example because many do miss the social interaction. One of my partners thinks I’m crazy for not playing in Nevada. He can’t imagine not having the sights and smells to stimulate him.

... most of what I hear from track management is “we have to create new fans”…While this is true, they are leaving so much money on the table by not catering to their existing serious ones.DG,
I agree with your original post that at least 90% of us owe our obsession to someone who showed us enough of the ropes to tie us to the game forever. ;)

I can appreciate the need to be able to concentrate and focus when one's livelihood is on the line, but the social aspect is always foremost for me. The most enjoyable days for me are when I get to go with old friends willing to immerse themselves in the process and inflate our collective courage to chase a big payoff. And on those occasions when we pull it off, the shared experience is far sweeter than those I savor in solitude.

I'm starting to accept that fresh blood has become too hard to come by in today's world. Though I have managed to corrupt my nephew during his job-related visits, I haven't created any lasting converts among my contemporaries since moving to California. I think having a horse in a photo when watching from the rail at the finish line is the missing ingredient.

So, yeah, tracks need to treat their bread and butter bettors better or the next boot in their butt will be a developer's. :D

[robert99]

I think that racing has to be realistic in a cash rich but time poor society.
There is a limit of what anyone can do with so many alternative leisure options available that simply just weren't there a few decades ago.

In UK, race courses are doing relatively well with increased crowds and new courses opening and they do the right things with bands before and after racing, social and charity days, kids in for free, the Queen patronising Royal Ascot and Epsom Derby meetings etc. Trainers run stable visits and the national stud is open to show off the great champions of the past. Amateurs run point to point meetings all over the country for their own pleasure. Everyone has a great time and says they will definitely come again but somehow something else crops up and they don't.

The UK Government has removed all tax on betting. We can bet on events anywhere in the World without being arrested and so on. However, as pointed out in other threads the proportion spent on horse racing betting is tumbling each year. That means that the revenue paid to racing by bookmakers for the horse racing product is reduced accordingly. People visiting the track for the first time are too shy /confused by the jargon to place any bet even though there are "greeters" to help them. Some bookmakers do not take a single bet on some races.

There is more and more competiton from other sports, poker, slots lotteries etc that are more easy to understand. Soccer for example is just two teams of 11 players that are household names. Most everyone has an opinion and knows the rules. Racing has thousands of horses and hundreds of trainers that the public have never heard of. You need some regular household names to grip the attention. The UK Tote which is very small is to be privatised. This means that owners are more and more subsidising the sport where it costs $900 a week just to keep one horse in training for a possible win of $10,000, once a season.

I think USA has missed the boat on internet betting and the fact that politicians can be openly bribed to change the rules at any time, legitimate businessmen get arrested when stepping on USA soil and that drugs are openly used, would put off any further serious foreign money. There are so many other countries to choose from.

I don't think that there is any magic bullet solution - tracks have to adjust to change in the society they serve, keep doing what they do well and telling people all about it, as the product is basically sound.

[DanG]

I think that racing has to be realistic in a cash rich but time poor society.

The UK Government has removed all tax on betting. We can bet on events anywhere in the World without being arrested and so on.

I think USA has missed the boat on internet betting and the fact that politicians can be openly bribed to change the rules at any time, legitimate businessmen get arrested when stepping on USA soil and that drugs are openly used, would put off any further serious foreign money.

I don't think that there is any magic bullet solution - tracks have to adjust to change in the society they serve, keep doing what they do well and telling people all about it, as the product is basically sound.
Well said Robert… :ThmbUp:

[Indulto]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/talkinhorses/RM041907.asp (http://www.bloodhorse.com/talkinhorses/RM041907.asp)
Randy Moss Handicapper… Cranford, New Jersey:
What do you believe will attract more people to this great sport/entertainment? I figure I have about 25 years left to make it to the track even if dragging my walker and want it to be there for all of those years.

Moss:
Racing can be improved in many areas, but an important one is a simple supply-and-demand equation. Look at what Keeneland has become – large crowds of enthusiastic college-age kids mixed with veteran gamblers. Keeneland has become the “place to be” for the college crowd, and as a result, lifelong racing fans are being formed. And what causes this? Three weeks of racing in the spring and three in the fall. Racing should be an event to be eagerly anticipated, not something that drags on and on every month of the year. There is no longer a racing “season” in many areas, and when there is a glut in supply, demand decreases. This is something that American racing could learn from the European model… if the NFL played every day of the year, it would lose popularity as well. The problem is, try telling racetracks and states that they need to make less profit in the short term for a more healthy long-term product. Horsemen’s groups typically fight any proposed reduction in racing dates as well.

[betovernetcapper]

All that has to happen for racing to thrive is to make it as easy to place a bet as it is to buy a lottery ticket. Sell the signal to anyone who wants it-put betting machines in Blarney Stones and Quickey-Marts and the handles will soar. To the extent people have to jump through hoops to place a bet, then the sport is in a state of risk. Oh yes some rebates would be nice.

[PaceAdvantage]

In this day and age, why do people continue to harp on the 'on-track' attendance as if it actually means a whole lot? Yes, tracks get a larger cut of the on-track money, but in the end, it's overall handle that still counts the most. And we all know that handle has either risen or remained relatively steady the past decade.

In the days of Internet betting, phone betting and OTBs, on-track attendance is nowhere near as important as people give it credit for being. Yeah, it looks better when the stands are packed, but that's just not a realistic expectation for the majority of tracks out there these days, and yet they still function as well as they have in the past when the seats were filled.

Moss talks about the horsemen fighting reduced racing dates. How about all the other employees of venues that go year-round? Racing is a large industry which employs lots and lots of people besides horsemen. If all these tracks decided to follow Keeneland and only race a few weeks out of the year, what's going to happen to all these jobs?

[Indulto]

In this day and age, why do people continue to harp on the 'on-track' attendance as if it actually means a whole lot?Without on-track attendance, there would be no reason to race at all the various existing venues. Tracks unable to attract sufficient handle from off-track bettors would close.Yes, tracks get a larger cut of the on-track money, but in the end, it's overall handle that still counts the most. And we all know that handle has either risen or remained relatively steady the past decade.

In the days of Internet betting, phone betting and OTBs, on-track attendance is nowhere near as important as people give it credit for being. Yeah, it looks better when the stands are packed, but that's just not a realistic expectation for the majority of tracks out there these days, and yet they still function as well as they have in the past when the seats were filled. You obviously missed the part in the NYRA proposal addendum which showed that NYRA lost money despite increased handle.Moss talks about the horsemen fighting reduced racing dates. How about all the other employees of venues that go year-round? Racing is a large industry which employs lots and lots of people besides horsemen. If all these tracks decided to follow Keeneland and only race a few weeks out of the year, what's going to happen to all these jobs?Talk about the tail wagging the dog! Why are you concerned about jobs when you encourage closing tracks? ;)

Fewer racing dates --> fresher, sounder horses --> fuller fields --> fresher, more enthusiastic bettors --> greater handle --> higher purses --> better horses --> increased attendance --> more jobs. :jump:

[Buckeye]

Look, it's hurts me to say this, but this game is over (or close to it). The driving force of cash is drying up. Take me for example, I'm OUT of horseracing, not that they needed me! :eek:
Think about it.

[PaceAdvantage]

Indulto, with all the financial burdens affecting NYRA outside the pari-mutuel realm, I hardly think they are a valid example to counter my argument.

[aaron]

PA-
One of the reasons that handle has been up over the years is the rate of inflation. People make more money,so they bet more.Racing's fan base has probably not increased in the last 20 years. Another reason NYRA has lost money over the years is that despite the increase in handle,they have sold their signal too cheap.The providers of NYRA's signal are probably making more on it than NYRA. If the handle was all run thru NYRA One accounts,NYRA would have never been in the position they are in today.So while you say on track handle isn't important,it certainly is important to have handle go through the NYRA One accounts. If this had happened,NYRA probably could have lowered take out and still made significant money.

[GaryG]

I think the betting figures would be similar if there were fewer tracks and fewer horses. There are podunk tracks that would have been turned into shopping malls by now if not for the slots. Since no one goes to the races anyway the main item is the offtrack handle. I can't believe someone who plays Remington (for example) would not keep playing f it was gone. I would like to see winter racing consist of SA, FG and GP (unless they revive Hialeah). Turfway running all winter? That can be one of the coldest places on earth. KY could do without the Pea Patch (Ellis) as well. If No Cal continues to race virtually year around the tracks there will go the way of Tanforan.