Racequest

[Cardus]

"The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Creative Racing Solutions (CRS) have announced the launch of RaceQuest, a beginner friendly online handicapping application aimed at new and novice horseplayers that also synthesizes handicapping angles into a useful wagering tool for the experienced bettor."

If you click www.racequest.net/NYRA (http://www.racequest.net/NYRA), you can access it. (Or just go to nyra.com, the source of the above paragraph.)

I could see this being useful to players here, and everywhere.

[Dahoss9698]

I realize it isn't as exciting as complaining, but no one has an opinion on this? Really?

It's funny, for all of the talk about trying to get new bettors involved, when someone actually makes an attempt....no one cares.

[acorn54]

new players won't come until the take out rate is lowered

[Tom]

How does a new player even know about the takeout rates?

[aaron]

I thought it looked like a good service. I think NYRA did a good job.

[PaceAdvantage]

How does a new player even know about the takeout rates?They don't. Plenty of long time players don't know or care either.

Hopefully acorn's attempt to sidetrack this thread won't prove successful.

New players will be attracted to the game if they are shown there is a chance you can actually make money not through luck, but through skill (compared to a casino game, where you are guaranteed to lose long term)...they'll also be attracted if there is a way to introduce them to the game like Racequest is attempting to do...

I think this is a great idea.

[Dave Schwartz]

I looked at the app and thought it was a great starting point. Maybe a little too simplistic - I think I would have gone for Excellent, good average, fair poor - but overall it was very well done.

We have to remember that before we criticize it too strongly it was not designed for "people like us."

[aaron]

They don't. Plenty of long time players don't know or care either.

Hopefully acorn's attempt to sidetrack this thread won't prove successful.

New players will be attracted to the game if they are shown there is a chance you can actually make money not through luck, but through skill (compared to a casino game, where you are guaranteed to lose long term)...they'll also be attracted if there is a way to introduce them to the game like Racequest is attempting to do...

I think this is a great idea.
I think you are 100% correct.
I remember going to seminars at NYRA with Marc Seigalaub and Brad Thomas. The room was always full and we did learn from them.
Harvey Pack was a great resource. I can't tell you how many players began their education with Harvey.

[Dahoss9698]

New players will be attracted to the game if they are shown there is a chance you can actually make money not through luck, but through skill (compared to a casino game, where you are guaranteed to lose long term)...they'll also be attracted if there is a way to introduce them to the game like Racequest is attempting to do...


Excellent point. It's one of the things often misunderstood about this game. It's not nearly as random as some make it seem.

[PhantomOnTour]

Excellent point. It's one of the things often misunderstood about this game. It's not nearly as random as some make it seem.
Amen

The thing that kills me is the way the game is approached and covered by major networks. While there may be some serious handicapping talk, it is ALWAYS hand in hand with the telephone number, kid's birthday, cute jockey silks systems and whatever crap they come up with.
What does this say to the casual person who tunes in and wants to know more about horseracing? It must look like the lottery to them, with much smaller payouts.
Almost every on air personality plays along with this act, esp if they pick a few losers early in the card...it's 'shot in the dark' time by race 4.

To realize how great this game is, all anyone new needs is to handicap (not guess at) a race and have it unfold the way they envisioned it...and cash a ticket.
The rest is history.

[Dahoss9698]

To realize how great this game is, all anyone new needs is to handicap (not guess at) a race and have it unfold the way they envisioned it...and cash a ticket.
The rest is history.

Another excellent point. It's why I think the industry as a whole has dropped the ball in the way the sport is marketed. The game is driven by gambling. That doesn't mean the feel good stories don't have their place, because they do.

But if the sport spent half as much time trying to educate people about how to handicap as they do pushing the fluff, I think we would see more interest from people. That's why something like Racequest is important. If you teach people how to win, as you said, the rest is history.

[Tom]

I have not had time to explore the deal, but the idea is good. It gets a new player into the game in two key areas - from home, and cheap!

[Tom]

The video doesn't work for me. Takes the bang out of the buck.