AP- on the edge of destruction!!
 

Yesterday, the AZ Republic published an article on the possible demise of TUP. Today, a similar article saw the light of day in a Chicago paper. Everyday there's more & more bad news concerning the ongoing viability of racing. I think we all know how this story ends.

Be Well,
fmhealth

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20...acing-crumbles

Yes we do! People will continue to bet

It's called CONTRACTION.....No problem from where I stand.

Absolutely. It will hurt some of us when racing gets yanked in our neck of the woods but it will be better off in the long run IMO.

Find it unseemly to correct my friend Tony Perillo, GM of AP but his numbers are somewhat off. Nine years ago CHDN was selling at $38.00, today it's trading at $194.00. I'd say shareholders, of which I number, are very pleased with their ROI. Including the dividends, this stock is up over 300% during this period.

If CHDN eventually sells this property, as if appears they will, another 20% is easily achievable.

Be Well,
fmhealth

In the north and northwest Chicago-area suburbs...Arlington Park is the only food-serving facility with a liquor license that doesn't have slots. In that area, even the nickle-and-dime hamburger joints have slot machines...or they are on the waiting list to get them in the near future. But Arlington Park has been steadfastedly denied slots...because the Illinois politicians are supposedly AGAINST widespread casino gambling in the state.

In the meantime...the slots are in every tavern and fast-food joint that you can find...and the moron customers flock to these places, where a hot dog and fries often costs them upwards of $500. :ThmbUp:

I see a BIG problem. With the emergence of the racinos...the very tracks that should be "contracted" are among the most profitable ones around. Penn National and Parx are the crookedest tracks in the country, and should be the FIRST to get shut down for the betterment of the sport...but their thriving casino businesses guarantee that they are both here to STAY.

Not to worry, as at some point PA state legislators will decouple racing from the casinos, then you'll see no more racing......It'll happen, a sure thing..;)

And Parx and Penn National are dumps, Arlington is a jewel in all respects except the poly course.

I was talking about this today and have thought this for a while now, but think the precedent will be set in Florida. I know the FTBOA has been fighting this for a while, but other states should take notice. It really comes down to a matter of when, not if.

When it does, we will have contraction. Major circuits should still be around for the most part, it is the smaller tracks that serve as feeders that will be the real issue when they close. Sure, some of these horses will move to other tracks but if people think the foal crop is an issue now, wait till this happens.

Add to that, I dont know of anyone that became a fan of racing by visiting an OTB. Most get exposed to the live product and become life long fans. Those that are not lucky enough to grow up in an area with major tracks will not be exposed, then we will have a real issue sustaining the customer base.

Legalized sports betting will be the final nail in the coffin. And its hard to feel sorry for the sport of horse racing. They wanted the band aid, short-term fixes. They never listened to the public.

About Pennsylvania..With the confiscatory 32% take out on vertical bets of three or more and all horizontal wagers, it is a miracle anyone with half a brain bets horses in that state.
If the geniuses in Harrisburg ever get around to decoupling casino gaming and horse racing. The industry at least on the Thoroughbred side is dead.

I don't mind playing Parx on Mon/Tue, I just don't play anything other than W, DD, or EX.

Exactly right.

More contraction, yes. Extinction...I don't see that for a loooong time, hopefully not in my lifetime.

Legalized sports betting will hurt but not kill IMO. There is a different 'rush' from betting horses than games.

I could see about 1/3 of the current tracks fold in the next decade but I think that is the stabilization point. That would lead to fuller fields too. Some tracks make no sense to keep running, at least without slots (e.g., Arapahoe Park - too small, Aqueduct - just run BEL/SAR, etc) but others do.

There is still a lot of money bet each year on horse racing. The big money in the game could bet sports today if they wanted to.