New Jersey Judges hand bettors the short straw

[andymays]

http://www.drf.com/blogs/new-jersey-judges-hand-bettors-short-straw

Excerpt:

Racing needs me. And by ‘me’ I mean the bettors who show up at the track or wager from simulcast land at OTBs and on the web. If we are unhappy then we will simply stop wagering and the sport will cease to exist. This message needs to be heard by the officials in New Jersey.

There is supposed to be a certain expectation of security when wagering on racing. Your best interests are being protected by a governing body. Of course, you can lose your money — that’s why it’s called gambling. But, what happens when the agencies that are created to protect your interests simply drop the ball?

[Canarsie]

It's Freehold caveat emptor.

This is all you need to know about that place. I live less than 15 miles from it and if I go once a decade it's a lot.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/former_head_of_freehold_racewa.html

[jelly]

It's really a shame that there are so many incompetent people working in this industry.

[Jeff P]

If you look closely at most Las Vegas casinos, you will find people with decision making authority who understand the needs and wants of the player. They not only understand the needs and wants of the player - but make an effort to satisfy those needs and wants.

If you look closely at most areas of racing, you will discover gaping holes in this area.

IMHO, one of the biggest problems racing faces is that the vast majority of people making the decisions don't bet.

By "bet" I mean churn significant amounts of money on a regular basis in an attempt to make a profit. (Until you walk a mile in your customers' shoes it becomes difficult to understand what it is your customer wants - let alone deliver it.)

The decision makers in racing see it as entertainment (putting on a show.) This is vastly different than what their customers really see it as: Gambling where intelligence counts.

This would all be well and good if you thought selling tickets to fans who just want to watch horses run around in a circle (with no gambling) were a viable business model.

However, handle trends over the past 10 years might suggest otherwise.

I submit to you the idea that just maybe racing IS a gambling game...

And that racing as a gambling game is getting its head handed to it by competitors (such as casinos and state lotteries) who do a better job of identifying customer needs and wants -- and then satisfying those needs and wants than racing is.


-jp

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