View Full Version : Try this one
46zilzal
04-14-2010, 04:34 PM
What are the many things about a Vegas casino's presentation to its patrons that race tracks never pick up on?
THEY WANT YOU TO COME back! and do everything they can to make your experience better.
Wagering on the nags takes a long apprenticeship and tracks really need to have programs supporting those younger fans who are just about to get the bug, but, SADLY they don't.
If you were a racing director or manager or customer relations, what would you suggest to your staff to instill the racing bug to those younger fans?
kenwoodallpromos
04-14-2010, 05:52 PM
1st, LV is not cventered on breeding participants!
I will restate some things thaty will interest teens in lifelong race betting-
1) Involving racing in general education with racing-related textbooks; tracks hosting HS Seniors job demos and fairs on dark days involving horserace owners as well as licensed occupations and track employees.
2) More public exposure of retired TBreds in racing gear at fairs, parades, public events, etc.
3) FREE Tbred HOF and the past year's TC and BC winners' horse trading cards.
4) Contact sports entertainment between races (jousting, karate or IFC demos, etc).
________
All of these ideas can involve some sort of payback with track freebies and/or racing web services info (free PP's, etc).
Retiring horse also have to be recognized on-track.
JWBurnie
04-14-2010, 07:13 PM
Hold a handicapping class in the grandstand. Beginner 101 classes prior to the card. Each week day/night (even dark days) hold a different handicapping lesson; trips, pace, record keeping, pedigree, angles, bet structure, visual inspection, change of equipment, trainers, chart tracking, simulcast.....
Group handicapping during live racing. If you teach them, they will come back.
BombsAway Bob
04-14-2010, 09:43 PM
Suffolk Downs has the 'perfect storm' for developing new horseplayers.
It has thousands upon thousands of college students a subway ride away.
With weekday racing (Mon/Tue/Wed) September thru early November,
Suffolk should get kids to the track with the old "Free Lunch". College ID gets Free Admission, $5 Food/Bev. voucher, $3 Free bet voucher, & a Fifty-Cent Late Pick-4 offered, so kids can head to the track after class for a chance to win with less money.
Promote having Jessica Paquette discussing the Pick-4 sequence between the 5th & 6th, so college kids can follow along. With an 18YO minumum age for betting in Mass., it's a super opportunity. I'd even throw in a band performing as well between races, to keep the joint jumping!
Bobble heads
Tee shirts
Hats
ranchwest
04-14-2010, 10:01 PM
Give each employee $20 and tell them to go out to the track and have a good time.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 12:19 AM
Hold a handicapping class in the grandstand. Beginner 101 classes prior to the card. Each week day/night (even dark days) hold a different handicapping lesson; trips, pace, record keeping, pedigree, angles, bet structure, visual inspection, change of equipment, trainers, chart tracking, simulcast.....
Group handicapping during live racing. If you teach them, they will come back.
That is the basis for the program I have suggested.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 12:21 AM
Suffolk Downs has the 'perfect storm' for developing new horseplayers.
It has thousands upon thousands of college students a subway ride away.
[
A good idea that I have already suggested but thanks for the reminder. I always thought that this crowd could appreciate the entire package.
njcurveball
04-15-2010, 12:29 AM
The absolute best thing racing has done in the last few years to attract new fans was a show called Jockeys. That kind of show should be done at every track and somehow put on local stations in the area.
They should have a few national shows for tracks like Santa Anita, Belmont and Churchill.
The fact that racing did not BEG Animal Planet to keep it going is a sure sign they have no clue how to attract new fans.
People who I have never seen at the track still ask me questions about the Pamplemousse and how Joe Talamo is riding.
If they get their heads out of spreadsheets and cutting costs down to single ply toilet paper, they might actually be able to see the way to attract customers.
Jockeys, for all the good or bad that is discussed, need to be the focal point of the game. Simply because they are the most consistent and visible part from day to day.
I still remember the discussions at ACRC about a loud mouth apprentice named Julie Knone and how this 10 pound bug named Joe Bravo was supposed be a really good rider.
Now all people have are numbers on a tote board and no real attraction to anything. There is a reason people watch reality shows, and those same reasons attracted them to racetracks.
The nuts and bolts of handicapping are great for those looking to dig deeper, but show a casual fan an episode jockeys and they will instantly recognize the players and give them a reason to cheer for or against them.
PhantomOnTour
04-15-2010, 12:36 AM
1st, LV is not cventered on breeding participants!
I will restate some things thaty will interest teens in lifelong race betting-
1) Involving racing in general education with racing-related textbooks; tracks hosting HS Seniors job demos and fairs on dark days involving horserace owners as well as licensed occupations and track employees.
2) More public exposure of retired TBreds in racing gear at fairs, parades, public events, etc.
3) FREE Tbred HOF and the past year's TC and BC winners' horse trading cards.
4) Contact sports entertainment between races (jousting, karate or IFC demos, etc).
________
All of these ideas can involve some sort of payback with track freebies and/or racing web services info (free PP's, etc).
Retiring horse also have to be recognized on-track.
Between races? Say what???
johnhannibalsmith
04-15-2010, 12:56 AM
Between races? Say what???
Yeah, I was thinking during the races would be better. Where's that Vaz character when you need him?
beertapper
04-15-2010, 02:09 AM
they should get on board with making an iphone app. why is there no kentucky derby app that would stream the race live, and have access to all prep races and link to a fantasy wagers / pool, where people can compete and see how they rank.... that's what's engaging youth today: technology and social networking. You can also link to forums and an amazon book list. You can have a live webcast or podcast on how to play the ponies. Etc, etc...
The people who made the AUS racing iphone app are on to something. Show that the game is accessible and can be played anywhere, and that you have a shot at winning, and that sometimes those payouts can be big
Forget about trying to draw people to a track. Hollywood Park has $1 beers on Fridays. How many people show up for that? The beer may be cheap, but youth don't want to be associated with a place that has a bad stereotype...
thaskalos
04-15-2010, 02:22 AM
The question, IMO, is not how to attract casual fans. The question is, how do you transform those casual fans into regular bettors. Out at Arlington Park in the summer I see a lot of young people...but they don't wager much, and they don't stick around very long...
InsideThePylons-MW
04-15-2010, 02:25 AM
they should get on board with making an iphone app. why is there no kentucky derby app that would stream the race live, and have access to all prep races and link to a fantasy wagers / pool, where people can compete and see how they rank....
They are still thinking they have to pay $2500 to stream audio from a CHRB meeting.
beertapper
04-15-2010, 02:50 AM
the Aussies have an app for the melbourne cup. How hard can it be for CD to get one out? It's got trivia, history, photos, news...
http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/melbourne-cup-carnival/id335307995?mt=8
ranchwest
04-15-2010, 08:41 AM
The question, IMO, is not how to attract casual fans. The question is, how do you transform those casual fans into regular bettors. Out at Arlington Park in the summer I see a lot of young people...but they don't wager much, and they don't stick around very long...
From what I've seen, Lone Star is more interested in selling beer than attracting bettors. The track doesn't seem to have any clue when it comes to the racing product.
Robert Goren
04-15-2010, 09:30 AM
The first thing that needs to be done is to at least create the illusion of being able make money at the track. If people believe that they are going to have read a lot of books and get a computer program to break even, they ain't going there. In poker, there are small stakes games in which some the players are not very good for people to learn. In horse racing , you jump right in with the guys who have complex computer programs and bet several 100 million dollars a year and on top of that they are getting a rebate which the newcomer is not. JMO
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 09:48 AM
The first thing that needs to be done is to at least create the illusion of being able make money at the track. If people believe that they are going to have read a lot of books and get a computer program to break even, they ain't going there. In poker, there are small stakes games in which some the players are not very good for people to learn. In horse racing , you jump right in with the guys who have complex computer programs and bet several 100 million dollars a year and on top of that they are getting a rebate which the newcomer is not. JMO
My program is going to stress that there are TWO MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE "games" at the track: 1) Handicapping and 2) market evaluation. If one looks at the investment that way, it is easier to explain it to the new fan.
The absolute best thing racing has done in the last few years to attract new fans was a show called Jockeys. That kind of show should be done at every track and somehow put on local stations in the area.
They should have a few national shows for tracks like Santa Anita, Belmont and Churchill.
The fact that racing did not BEG Animal Planet to keep it going is a sure sign they have no clue how to attract new fans.
People who I have never seen at the track still ask me questions about the Pamplemousse and how Joe Talamo is riding.
If they get their heads out of spreadsheets and cutting costs down to single ply toilet paper, they might actually be able to see the way to attract customers.
Jockeys, for all the good or bad that is discussed, need to be the focal point of the game. Simply because they are the most consistent and visible part from day to day.
I still remember the discussions at ACRC about a loud mouth apprentice named Julie Knone and how this 10 pound bug named Joe Bravo was supposed be a really good rider.
Now all people have are numbers on a tote board and no real attraction to anything. There is a reason people watch reality shows, and those same reasons attracted them to racetracks.
The nuts and bolts of handicapping are great for those looking to dig deeper, but show a casual fan an episode jockeys and they will instantly recognize the players and give them a reason to cheer for or against them.:ThmbUp:
Robert Goren
04-15-2010, 10:00 AM
My program is going to stress that there are TWO MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE "games" at the track: 1) Handicapping and 2) market evaluation. If one looks at the investment that way, it is easier to explain it to the new fan.With all due respect, if you mention the phrase "market evaluation", most people will shut down right then and there. JMO
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 10:50 AM
With all due respect, if you mention the phrase "market evaluation", most people will shut down right then and there. JMO
what would you call it
Greyfox
04-15-2010, 11:04 AM
[QUOTE=kenwoodallpromos]4) Contact sports entertainment between races (jousting, karate or IFC demos, etc).
You're are on to something here.
UFC style bouts between Jockeys.
(Maybe "Mud wrestling" for the female riders - eg. Sutherland vs Scott):D
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 11:06 AM
[QUOTE=kenwoodallpromos]4) Contact sports entertainment between races (jousting, karate or IFC demos, etc).
You're are on to something here.
UFC style bouts between Jockeys.
(Maybe "Mud wrestling" for the female riders - eg. Sutherland vs Scott):D
I would quit and never come back if that was the standard
Greyfox
04-15-2010, 11:06 AM
what would you call it
Risk Investment
Greyfox
04-15-2010, 11:10 AM
[QUOTE=Greyfox]
I would quit and never come back if that was the standard
:lol: (I knew you would take it seriously.) :lol:
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 11:13 AM
With all due respect, if you mention the phrase "market evaluation", most people will shut down right then and there. JMO
Then what is the odds board reporting? Seems to me it is as close to a ticker at the stock market than most anything else.
chickenhead
04-15-2010, 11:20 AM
on track, you're gonna get mostly fans and small bettors, with a few big bettors mixed in.
Player Rewards Cards -- analytics, knowing your customers and what they are doing. ADWs know who I am, Data services know who I am, no track knows who I am. When the analytics system sees they just got a first time customer, they'd have their email address, send an email telling them they have a free $10 credit on their wagering card next time they come back. You see someone betting chalky super boxes, email them a seminar video on superfecta wagering strategy. Big bettor, you get a comped budget for food and whatnot, just swipe your reward card. etc, etc. And, shocker, the track can actually measure their ROI on any perk. Run lots of experiments. Jettison the failed, increase the good. (and of course, with takeouts where they are, rebates for everyone)
NICE simulcast war rooms, one on each floor.
Less stadium seating, more tables.
Cheap food, entrance, and booze, and a good looking waitress or two, to get the younger crowd in the door, the first tiime.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 11:24 AM
on track, you're gonna get mostly fans and small bettors, with a few big bettors mixed in.
Player Rewards Cards -- analytics, knowing your customers and what they are doing. ADWs know who I am, Data services know who I am, no track knows who I am. When the analytics system sees they just got a first time customer, they'd have their email address, send an email telling them they have a free $10 credit on their wagering card next time they come back. You see someone betting chalky super boxes, email them a seminar video on superfecta wagering strategy. Big bettor, you get a comped budget for food and whatnot, just swipe your reward card. etc, etc. And, shocker, the track can actually measure their ROI on any perk. Run lots of experiments. Jettison the failed, increase the good.
NICE simulcast war rooms, one on each floor.
Less stadium seating, more tables.
Cheap food, entrance, and booze, and a good looking waitress or two, to get the younger crowd in the door, the first tiime.
I will bring these up at my meeting next Tuesday. thanks...49 er fans are great as always.
Robert Goren
04-15-2010, 12:13 PM
Then what is the odds board reporting? Seems to me it is as close to a ticker at the stock market than most anything else. I am not saying you are not right, but when most people hear terms like that they think it is complicated and give up. That why all 401k plans have mutual funds. People just look at the rate of return over 5 years and stick there money there. Most people do not want to become equivalent of a hedge fund manager just stick 5 bucks on a horse. JMO
scott5104
04-15-2010, 12:13 PM
I like the player rewards card idea. We are in the computer age shouldn't I be able to logon to my account and see my bets, what betting style (win,exacta,p3) is working for me and heck even if I am winning at claiming or maiden races. Sticking with youth twitter - the track announcer or track handicapper should be sending out his bets pre-race on a twitter feed. What about live updates - boy that 6 horse in the post parade is looking sharp today. Follow up "tweets" (immediately after the race) - hope you had the 6 he paid $20 to win. Of course all this can also carry an occasional marketing - don't forget $1 doller Miller Lites all day, car show this Saturday on the grounds, etc. At Philly Park (my home track) they have some 123 racing. I have no idea what it is and didn't look it up till just now. We live in an electronic age - if I was signed up for a twitter or even a facebook page I would have been alerted to this new wager. Sounds like a good bet for a newbie. http://www.123racing.info/
As far as I am concerned the $2 raceday programs are garbage and tell a new person nothing about betting. Leverage a drf or equibase number system and include a quick tutorial for a new person to the track.
Setting the hook. Got this idea from ustrotting.com article but holds 100% true. Bring over a couple of racehorses to stall(s) on the grandstand side. Let people interact. OK insurance worries - can just see some kid getting bit and the parents suing. Someone feeding a horse "poison" because he ruined his p3. OK need work on that idea but people need to connect with the athletes. The backside or barns. I have never been to the barns at any race track. Even if I had to pay. Have a bus or oversized golf cart. Take 4-5 people to the backside and introduce the athletes, let people connect to the horses. Talk to a trainer and answer my questions.
Branding - always a tough one but every youth out there has a jersey from some professional team/athlete. Never saw some kid with a Zenyatta jersey on.....
Handicapping - how to get a youth hooked onto a life of torment trying to figure out the game. Well yes onsite handicapping race day. Before Philly park reconfigured the first time for their casino - I happily listened to a guest panel of handicappers give their 2 cents on the weekend race day card. Never have seen my local community college or high school offer a "handicapping" class. Even if a one time deal. Business idea anyone? Can a college offer credits for a course directly associated with the track. Would the race track need to somehow sponsor?
Robert Goren
04-15-2010, 12:28 PM
One major problem that I haven't heard addressed is advertising. If people don't know about it, they ain't coming. Even if they know about, if they aren't reminded about all the the time, they forget about it. JMO
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 12:31 PM
One major problem that I haven't heard addressed is advertising. If people don't know about it, they ain't coming. Even if they know about, if they aren't reminded about all the the time, they forget about it. JMO
When I was in Sudden California, everyday there would be ads about the major meets and a weekly show to remind folks.......BUT that was a very long time ago.
chickenhead
04-15-2010, 12:34 PM
another thing I would do -- and this is more attention to detail, but the details matter and all the little things add up (like attention to detail in simulcast room design)...
two things I have noticed at the track
A.) Voucher machines don't like my money. If I go to a voucher machine with 30 $20 bills I'm
A. Gonna be there for 10 minutes
B. Walking away with a $420 voucher and 9 twenties the machine rejected.
So I long ago abandoned them and go to a teller to get my money. Takes 20 seconds and they always take all my money.
B.) New people at the track, largely, for whatever reason, do not do this. They see the voucher machine and try to use it.
Anytime some newbie walks to the voucher machine with $60 and walks away with a $40 voucher, they may well have just set their bankroll for the day. You're asking them to take a second action for that other $20 to come into play. It's money lost.
Tracks need to either upgrade their technology, like some of the newer ATMS, where you can just feed a whole stack of bills into a slot, all at once, and the machine figures it out, or, and possibly preferably --
Get rid of voucher machines, and just have dedicated "BUY VOUCHER OR CASH VOUCHERS" windows, with big sign above them, and live people. Not there to take bets, just to trade vouchers and money.
Put your prettiest, most personable tellers here, so guys will
A.) want to go buy vouchers.
B.) Try to impress her and maybe buy a bigger voucher than they would have.
And she can
A.) upsell the Rewards Card to anyone that doesn't have one "There are GREAT perks to having one, just step over to the next window and Kerry Anne can help you, it only takes a sec"
B.) act impressed and happy when anyone comes to cash out.
A little amateur psychology goes a long way I think.
elhelmete
04-15-2010, 12:37 PM
With all due respect, if you mention the phrase "market evaluation", most people will shut down right then and there. JMO
+1
Even when I bring newbie friends to a physically stunning track like Santa Anita, I see the blank gaze as soon as I start to explain the ABCs of the tote and pari betting. (To be fair, these people would probably have the same reaction trying to figure out sports betting and the vig, etc., but still...)
GaryG
04-15-2010, 12:46 PM
Chickie,
This is one thing my local OTB has going for it, of course it is very small. They know your name, congratulate you when you get a big hit, and just generally make you feel at home. Doesn't hurt to tip occasionally either. I have never been to an OTB in New York, but I can sort of imagine....:eek:
Greyfox
04-15-2010, 12:49 PM
1. Go to your local cable commuity minded TV company - get FREE PROGRAM Time.
2. Once a week host a 1 hour show : Playing the Ponies - run the show several times a week.
3. Give 15 minutes of instruction, give a video example of the race.
4. Bring in guests - trainers, jockeys, tellers.....bring the place to life with the human element.
5. Advertise the show exists - with posters and flyers at local colleges.
chickenhead
04-15-2010, 01:20 PM
One major problem that I haven't heard addressed is advertising. If people don't know about it, they ain't coming. Even if they know about, if they aren't reminded about all the the time, they forget about it. JMO
I only know locally, but Golden Gate Fields advertises their Sunday "Dollar Days", of $1 beers, $1 hot dogs, $1 admission, $1 parking, $1 program on TV very heavily. Someone else mentioned replay show, they also have their replays on every day on a local TV Station.
They do get many more people out to the track on Sundays, a lot of families -- dad for the $1 beers, with kids for the $1 hot dogs, and 20 somethings, and most people seem to have a good time. I'm sure they don't bet much, but they are at the track. Personally I'd question if only one day is dollar day, why they don't do it on Saturdays, so they can see higher quality races (Saturday is more like a ghost town there).
-------------
One last thing I'd add, another attention to detail that wouldn't cost anything -- the track announcer should be more like an MC. Not overly chatty, but helpful. They should announce when the feature race for the simulcast tracks are coming up ("10 minutes to post for the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, get your bets down on some of the best 3 YOs vying for a chance to run in the Kentucky Derby"), and all simulcast stakes races. Audible cues to go bet.
My local casino machines not only don't have problems accepting my money or vouchers, they even have machines that pay out vouchers in bills & change so you never have to deal with a teller unless you want to.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 01:37 PM
One last thing I'd add, another attention to detail that wouldn't cost anything -- the track announcer should be more like an MC. Not overly chatty, but helpful. They should announce when the feature race for the simulcast tracks are coming up ("10 minutes to post for the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, get your bets down on some of the best 3 YOs vying for a chance to run in the Kentucky Derby"), and all simulcast stakes races. Audible cues to go bet.
I work with two extremes of this and prefer the less chatty version.
chickenhead
04-15-2010, 01:47 PM
I work with two extremes of this and prefer the less chatty version.
normally I tend that way as well, but there has to be a happy medium, something more than complete silence. Pick the biggest 3 or 4 simulcast races of the day, and have one comment for each with 10 minutes to post to alert people to them. Keep it simple.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 01:55 PM
normally I tend that way as well, but there has to be a happy medium, something more than complete silence. Pick the biggest 3 or 4 simulcast races of the day, and have one comment for each with 10 minutes to post to alert people to them. Keep it simple.
I agree as our t-bred announcer is great, succinct and is marvelous extemporaneously when he is called on at the last second....a real pro.
When we have had unexpected audio trouble from the winners circle or paddock and there is a quick call for him to take over, the crowd would never know he was not the scheduled announcer from the get go.
WHAT I FIND IS A PROBLEM in the new crowd understanding a notoriously inbred vocabulary used by most announcers.
Bettowin
04-15-2010, 02:02 PM
Make Handicapping 101 mandatory in order to graduate high school. Heck if Pepsi and Coke can get soft drink machines in schools for sharing the profit why can't the track??? :)
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 02:10 PM
Make Handicapping 101 mandatory in order to graduate high school. Heck if Pepsi and Coke can get soft drink machines in schools for sharing the profit why can't the track??? :)
I have tried and tried to get the local school system to allow for a recreational handicapping course to be offered as a fun aspect of adult night school and time and time again I get the same response: WE DON'T CONDONE GAMBLING HERE.....I try to tell them that GAMBLING is what you do AFTER your handicapping but STONE WALL TIME each and every attempt.
johnhannibalsmith
04-15-2010, 02:34 PM
another thing I would do -- and this is more attention to detail, but the details matter and all the little things add up (like attention to detail in simulcast room design)...
two things I have noticed at the track
...
Great post - addressed the problem and offered a wonderfully simple solution to a glaring detriment that affects nearly every betting facility.
:ThmbUp:
Bettowin
04-15-2010, 02:42 PM
I have tried and tried to get the local school system to allow for a recreational handicapping course to be offered as a fun aspect of adult night school and time and time again I get the same response: WE DON'T CONDONE GAMBLING HERE.....I try to tell them that GAMBLING is what you do AFTER your handicapping but STONE WALL TIME each and every attempt.
I hear ya. And to think they do condone picking stocks in grade school. Not much difference:)
johnhannibalsmith
04-15-2010, 03:27 PM
I have tried and tried to get the local school system to allow for a recreational handicapping course to be offered as a fun aspect of adult night school and time and time again I get the same response: WE DON'T CONDONE GAMBLING HERE.....I try to tell them that GAMBLING is what you do AFTER your handicapping but STONE WALL TIME each and every attempt.
Do they hand out rubbers at that school and demonstrate the proper application?
I mean, schools don't seem eager to view offering sex ed as promoting teenage pregnancy - they look at it as being responsible in the event of an inevitability (for most, anyway.)
Okay, so the expected rate of becoming a horse bettor isn't quite the expected rate of becoming a non-virgin, but hey, isn't it being responsible to educate that percentage of future bettors to help mitigate the consequences?
;)
BlueShoe
04-15-2010, 03:29 PM
If you were a racing director or manager or customer relations, what would you suggest to your staff to instill the racing bug to those younger fans?
The details are fuzzy, since at the time payed little attention to it, but a number of years ago at one meeting Santa Anita had a series of handicapping contests pitting two teams from local colleges against each other. The kids would make a selection in each race, and whichever team ended up with the highest return would get a scholarship donation for their school from SA. Quite a few students showed up on those days. Unknown is how many became racing fans, they are now middle aged.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 03:31 PM
Do they hand out rubbers at that school and demonstrate the proper application?
I mean, schools don't seem eager to view offering sex ed as promoting teenage pregnancy - they look at it as being responsible in the event of an inevitability (for most, anyway.)
Okay, so the expected rate of becoming a horse bettor isn't quite the expected rate of becoming a non-virgin, but hey, isn't it being responsible to educate that percentage of future bettors to help mitigate the consequences?
;)
Another who doesn't actually read....ADULT night school usually contains non virgins who like to drink gamble AND make whoopie
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 03:32 PM
The details are fuzzy, since at the time payed little attention to it, but a number of years ago at one meeting Santa Anita had a series of handicapping contests pitting two teams from local colleges against each other. The kids would make a selection in each race, and whichever team ended up with the highest return would get a scholarship donation for their school from SA. Quite a few students showed up on those days. Unknown is how many became racing fans, they are now middle aged.
good idea....THAT one will be suggested.
johnhannibalsmith
04-15-2010, 03:53 PM
Another who doesn't actually read....ADULT night school usually contains non virgins who like to drink gamble AND make whoopie
You got me. I didn't process the 'adult' part. A thousand pardons.
Pell Mell
04-15-2010, 06:14 PM
Devise a video game where one handicaps, (clues included), along the lines of the Bass Fishing games.
Have Jimmie Johnson's car on display, have drawings for tickets to events that the average fan can't get or afford. Did you ever check the price of a ticket to Bristol Speedway?
Learn something from NASCAR.
shouldacoulda
04-15-2010, 06:47 PM
I was gonna say cheerleaders and lots of beer. It works for football! :ThmbUp:
On a serious side though, Hawthorne has a lot of promotions like dollar beers, dollar hot dogs, live bands. Things that will draw people out to the track. I don't live near there but I still would like to go and check it out.
JohnGalt1
04-15-2010, 09:03 PM
Even though there is no central body in racing, imitating great ideas from other tracks should be considered.
Canterbury has a players card.
Today I went to buy a season's pass with my points and was told that this year there will be NO admission charge.
On Friday's they have live bands perform between races. It draws a younger crowd who bet less, but the attendence is about double what it would be without the entertainment.
Last year when they charged $5 admission, Thursday's were dollar days-- $1 admission, hot dogs, pop and $2 beers.
Sundays they have a drawing for a horseshoe tossing contest.
I'm sure there are more and better ideas tracks could copy or come up with themselves.
ranchwest
04-15-2010, 11:54 PM
C'mon guys, the first thing that is needed is that the tracks have to WANT to promote their RACING PRODUCT. That's what's missing. Anyone can come up with promotional ideas once you have someone who CARES.
46zilzal
04-15-2010, 11:57 PM
Devise a video game where one handicaps, (clues included), along the lines of the Bass Fishing games.
Have Jimmie Johnson's car on display, have drawings for tickets to events that the average fan can't get or afford. Did you ever check the price of a ticket to Bristol Speedway?
Learn something from NASCAR.
Believe me that there are NO Nascar fans about...TONS of hockey nuts however.
We have free admission but $7.00 parking.
acorn54
04-16-2010, 01:51 AM
the kids that gamble today are sharp, i have talked with alot of young gamblers and they know all the percentages and probabilities of all the games of chance. when they see the fact that you have to show a 17 percent edge over random chance to just breakeven in horserace gambling they have no interest in horseracing.
until the racing authorities face that fact horseracing will continue its decline.
i already notice alot of tracks have cut back on their racing days to four and three days a week, a further indicator that racing is in decline.
castaway01
04-16-2010, 09:00 AM
Devise a video game where one handicaps, (clues included), along the lines of the Bass Fishing games.
Have Jimmie Johnson's car on display, have drawings for tickets to events that the average fan can't get or afford. Did you ever check the price of a ticket to Bristol Speedway?
Learn something from NASCAR.
Usually video game companies develop the video games because there is a market for them.
And while horse racing would obviously love to have the success of NASCAR, they are past their peak as well. These days a lot of those expensive tickets are going unsold. Also, even if you get 100,000 at a race, there's ONE major-league NASCAR race in the whole country. Don't go crazy over the attendance numbers.
It's sad reviewing the ideas in this thread and realizing that even the much-reviled Philadelphia Park has done a lot of these things. They have a weekly half-hour TV show with race highlights and previews. They (used to?) have local handicappers discussing the Saturday card with free donuts and coffee. They have a picnic grove for kids to play and families to spend time and watch the races. They had a nice bar with happy hour specials and all the big NFL games on the big screen. Sadly, I never noticed a huge influx of young people, and as I'm sure the tracks know, I don't think those who came did much betting...but now they have a casino and all is well. I don't know how much of this stuff they still do after the renovations, but they did it throughout the early 2000s when I was a regular. So, I don't know what the answer is.
kenwoodallpromos
04-16-2010, 04:58 PM
good idea....THAT one will be suggested.
Your venue should be a good sized sports bar or restaurant- with a special guest from the front side, back, side, and TOBA each week- preferably with a connection to a famous race horse (like the hotwalker or head holder of Mine That Bird). Those venues get much more free PR in the print and web media anyway, especially a free class! Include the track-related subjects of maintainence, track dynamica, simple math, medicene, general business, etc sprinkled in. And have your track and horse owners offer discounts for their businesses, Give each student 2 sets of playing cards each week- 1 local and 1 HOF. Have then distibute them to senior, community, and kids' groups and give the group as many free decks as they want!
Email or PM me for more details.
MTB=
10/05/2008 Grey S. (G3 Woodbine) 1st
09/14/2008 Swynford S. (Woodbine) 1st
08/23/2008 Silver Deputy S. (Woodbine) 1st
08/04/2008 Maiden Claiming (Woodbine) 1st
07/20/2008 Maiden Special Weight (Woodbine) 5th
kenwoodallpromos
04-16-2010, 05:09 PM
Google Advanced Search
Results 1 - 20 of about 165,000 for racehorse VIDEOS
beertapper
04-16-2010, 05:46 PM
I have tried and tried to get the local school system to allow for a recreational handicapping course to be offered as a fun aspect of adult night school and time and time again I get the same response: WE DON'T CONDONE GAMBLING HERE.....I try to tell them that GAMBLING is what you do AFTER your handicapping but STONE WALL TIME each and every attempt.
mark cramer was able to teach handicapping classes.... what is good or bad is but an arbitrary decision by the school board / state
46zilzal
04-16-2010, 05:49 PM
mark cramer was able to teach handicapping classes.... what is good or bad is but an arbitrary decision by the school board / state
He taught that course in a junior college
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