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Sounds a lot like what Ian and other sharpies do here - try and help players win, by offering free info. Because the simple fact is, when they win, or have a chance to, they bet much, much more, and can be convinced to be every day players.
Betfair also struck a deal with Thorograph to offer those products for free for bettors.
It's the 21 century and it is the way all companies in gambling have to act to compete. We are stuck in the dark ages here (PTC is a start to being what we should be) but over there delivery mechanisms like Betfair have kept handle and revenue where it should be for racing, in the face of fierce competition, imo, by offering customer-centric betting platforms, low takeouts and free data.
I wonder if Twinspires would grow their wager if they offered Bris data for free? Of course they would.
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I see a parallel between the world economies and the wagering situation. Companies that compete on a global scale and derive profits from offshore have been doing very well the last 5 years, if not longer. Very often most of these companies profits from outside the US far outweigh domestic sources.
For the horse racing industry to survive they have to get beyond the regionalism and self-limiting way of doing business. Racing has to change and to embrace the changes. By that I mean technology changes everything and racing needs to adjust to that reality.
The race tracks and the horsemen have benefited from the shift from on-track wagering to interstate wagering via OTBs and now ADWs. Keeping restrictions like signal ownership and exclusivity harkens back to the old days and old ways. They can not have it both ways. If they want to enjoy the growth that will come from removing the barriers, moving to a "global" economy if you will, they have to remove the trade barriers -- call me a free trader if you like.
