Watchmaker on board member's fanbase idea

[Grits]

http://www.drf.com/blogs/racings-older-fanbase

DRF's Mike Watchmaker shares thoughts on racing's fanbase and remarks made by oversight board member. ......Tell this fella to keep working on the 20 and 30 somethings in the ATM lines Belmont Day, as I'd noted, the longest lines in the building. Most without a DRF or a program in their hand. Only a three quarters empty cup of beer.

I saw a report yesterday (Tuesday) on bloodhorse.com on the NYRA presenting its new marketing director to the Franchise Oversight Board, the New York state entity that, as its title suggests, oversees the NYRA. What struck me about this report was not who the new appointee was (for the record, he is Rodnell Workman, a former executive for Madison Square Garden and the New York Giants). What caught my eye was a quote in the middle of the piece from Richard Aurelio, an oversight board member, speaking about what he perceives to be the difficulty marketing Thoroughbred racing.

While it is true that Thoroughbred racing is in a far different position than it was in 40-odd years ago, primarily because folks have other options for disposable income earmarked for gambling, I believe one thing remains true: For most people, Thoroughbred racing is an acquired taste. In most cases, you have to be at a certain station in life to have the maturity to appreciate and accept the intellectual challenge of handicapping. Plus, you have to have the disposable income, and, almost as critically, the time to do something about it. Because of that, the audience the game should be targeting at least as vigorously as the young crowd is that group of 40- to 50-somethings.

[garyscpa]

Originally Posted by Grits

http://www.drf.com/blogs/racings-older-fanbase

DRF's Mike Watchmaker shares thoughts on racing's fanbase and remarks made by oversight board member. ......Tell this fella to keep working on the 20 and 30 somethings in the ATM lines Belmont Day, as I'd noted, the longest lines in the building. Most without a DRF or a program in their hand. Only a three quarters empty cup of beer.

You don't think they should target their marketing to where they think it will be most effective?

[Bullet Plane]

I think Watchmaker is on the right track. Serve the clientele that is currently at the track. Zero tolerance for drunks and loud rock and roll music. Play Ole' Blue Eyes, a little Satchmo, etc. and the people you have will remain.

Do the other dumb stuff, and the people will continue to leave in droves. Horse racing is too complex for the 20's to 30's crowd. Let them play the slots like idiots, until they grow up to be adults and play the horses at around 50-60 years of age.

That is generally the age where brain power overcomes hormones.

If some kid in PR has an idea to attract people to the track. Make damn sure that person is 24-7 around the clock...no other hobbies, no other life, zero spouse, zero children, zero fancy clothes, addicted to the horses like me...and then they might have a vague clue as to how and why people go to the track.

Make sure the kid has read "Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing." Put the kid through Quinn and Quirin, Davidowitz, Dick Mitchell, Cramer, Barry Meadows, etc. ...And of course Andy Beyer....Quiz them til they cry...

Also, make sure the kid has the complete set of Charles Bukowski books..all thirty or so, and has them worn them ragged.

Then, maybe, just maybe, that person might have a vague idea of what kind of people go to the track. There is never anyone new there, and there never has been, and there never will be.

[andicap]

Aurelio is right. Any good business that is struggling has to shore up its base before expanding. J.C. Penney is getting a good lesson in that right now with its disastrous new campaign that has alienated the venerable chain's base of mainstream Americans.
Lose your most loyal customers and you're up the creek. I'm not against racing trying to lure younger fans == just not at the cost of losing their best customers.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarket...at-went-wrong/

[BlueShoe]

Originally Posted by Bullet Plane

Also, make sure the kid has the complete set of Charles Bukowski books..all thirty or so, and has them worn them ragged.

Just a sidenote, but perhaps not well known was that Bukowski was a dedicated horseplayer and a regular at the SoCal tracks. Saw him numerous times back in the days before widespread simulcasting.

[MickJ26]

It's an instant gratification world. Handicapping, and handicapping well, is an art that must be perfected over time. Most of the video game generation doesn't have the attention span or the patience to invest the effort it takes to find the enjoyment of handicapping and/or admiring these majestic, beautiful animals. Just my two cents worth.

[lamboguy]

there are 2 key interchangeable components in racing, the horse owner and the bettor.

the assets that the game has is the love of the animal, and every fan can participate in the game in many different ways, unlike any other spectator sport. there are plenty of reasons why horse racing was the number 1 spectator sport for years.

to get back to the glory days only will take a plan that will get the sport back on solid footing. i don't think that ten cent triple superfecta's, rainbow pick 6's or any other change in betting has anything to do with the health of the game, and a way to attract people to participate in it.

[Robert Goren]

Originally Posted by andicap

Aurelio is right. Any good business that is struggling has to shore up its base before expanding. J.C. Penney is getting a good lesson in that right now with its disastrous new campaign that has alienated the venerable chain's base of mainstream Americans.
Lose your most loyal customers and you're up the creek. I'm not against racing trying to lure younger fans == just not at the cost of losing their best customers.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarket...at-went-wrong/

Racing is already losing its most loyal customers at an alarming rate. They are either dying off or moving to nursing homes. It is at the current time not replacing them in sufficient numbers to survive. If you visit any simulcast center, you will quick see the problem. Almost everybody there is at least in there 60s. Many are well into their 70s. 10 years from now a third to half of those bettors won't be there. In 20 years almost all of them will be gone. I don't have all the answers and maybe I don't have any of them, but this much I do know, they can't continue to treat their customers as degenerate gamblers. The young gamblers now days have too many options as to where to take their action to put up with that. I also believe that a new horse player does not become a regular horse player in one trip to the track. He must be nurtured over time.
You are right about JCPenneys. I was there last week to get a new pair of sweat pants. There was only one other customer in the mens dept.

[thaskalos]

There is no doubt in my mind that horse racing not only can survive...it can THRIVE...without ever trying to attract the younger gamblers. All our racing leaders have to do is show us "older generation" that they are interested in running this sport as if it were a "gambling game"...which, of course, is exactly what it is.

The 40+ population is more than capable of carrying this game, just as they have done for over a century now...but even the game's biggest supporters have gotten disenchanted with the way the game is currently run.

The high takeout is one thing, but when you combine it with today's 6-horse fields and trainer integrity issues...then things get pretty hopeless in a hurry for the player.

I have been playing the game for 30 years...and have never seen such a horrible product on display from Monday to Friday.

Do our racing leaders really think that the 6-horse field is appetizing to the player, from a wagering standpoint?

They must...otherwise, something would have been done to rectify this situation.

It is sad to see...because this game is the best gambling game in existence when it's run right.

But it's the worst gambling game in the world...when it's not.

[Robert Goren]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

There is no doubt in my mind that horse racing not only can survive...it can THRIVE...without ever trying to attract the younger gamblers. All our racing leaders have to do is show us "older generation" that they are interested in running this sport as if it were a "gambling game"...which, of course, is exactly what it is.

The 40+ population is more than capable of carrying this game, just as they have done for over a century now...but even the game's biggest supporters have gotten disenchanted with the way the game is currently run.

The high takeout is one thing, but when you combine it with today's 6-horse fields and trainer integrity issues...then things get pretty hopeless in a hurry for the player.

I have been playing the game for 30 years...and have never seen such a horrible product on display from Monday to Friday.

Do our racing leaders really think that the 6-horse field is appetizing to the player, from a wagering standpoint?

They must...otherwise, something would have been done to rectify this situation.

It is sad to see...because this game is the best gambling game in existence when it's run right.

But it's the worst gambling game in the world...when it's not.

The 40+ population is always gaining and lose members. I post here several years that horse racing should go after the newly retired and got skewed pretty good.
When simulcasting first came in about 20 years ago, when I went out to the local simulcasting center at the track, I was one of youngest people there. The last time I was there just before Lincoln's live meet started in May, I was still one of the youngest people there. I am 64. That has to be a problem for them long term. I understand the need to draw young people to live racing because that is where you plant the seeds. Simulcasting is where you find most of the hard core horse players. It is pretty clear the number as dwindling there because of benign neglected. I know some people have abandoned the simulcast centers for online betting. I am one of them. But ADWs are not attracting new players to the game in any real numbers, merely changing the wagering venues of existing ones.
I agree about the product on weekdays, but it ain't all that great on weekends either in my opinion. You right there are far too many short fields and even in larger fields there are far too many horses taking very little money with no chance. 2 extra horses at 50/1+ with no chance does not make a race playable in my book. What used to be staple of the game, full fields of evenly matched (on paper at least) of bottom or near bottom dirt claimers has all but disappeared from the game.

[burnsy]

i never understood the fascination with ATM's...they charge you to "visit" your own money. i've been going to the track for almost 40 years. i guess the common sense of bringing money in your pocket or putting money in your NYRA account got lost somewhere....i've never used an ATM once in my life at the track. what really cracks me up is the line at saratoga (at the ATM). alot of the behavior i see at the track gives me confidence in my common sense way of handicapping. because so many have zero. you are going to a race track to gamble you might want to have some cash BEFORE you get there...i wish i could book bets (just give me one window) or own a track its easy to see how 90% of the people lose all the time doing this (betting horse racing). what, you didn't hit the early double and you are broke by the second race? hilarious. are you kidding me? these are the kind of people i want there every day and one of the reasons i love gambling at saratoga. because there will be at LEAST one favorite a day that has no shot with money like this in the pool and those are the races i look for. give them more beer and money.......it makes my season.

[Aerocraft67]

The article makes a very keen insight that the logical audience for racing skews older, due to favorable disposition and discretionary time associated with that age group, which makes obsession about attracting young fans because old ones are dying off misplaced. I'm very fond of horseplay, but just don't have the time to pursue it much with work and family commitments. And while I agree with Watchmaker, I'm still amazed that the track is a reliable place where I'm a young guy...pushing my mid 40s. I guess that makes me the real core demographic for new fans. At least after my kids get a little older.

That said, there is more than one dimension to the game to enjoy, and those other dimensions can appeal to others beyond the core clientele, even though handicapping and wagering is central. Combining those dimensions can help promote the game favorably. The point is well taken about the dubious value of turning a horse race into a frat party, but if the track has some family-friendly events or parts of the venue, that helps me get my family and friends in on what's otherwise a very solitary pursuit. Creative promotions could also motivate people like me to bring a group of peers to the track for the day that otherwise wouldn't go, and that experience could rub off to spark interest with them or someone they know. Problem is, many of these promotions aren't particularly creative, and wind up making the track even less appealing.

On the other hand, while the sight of a bunch of old geezers and sketchy characters at a debilitated track is off-putting to many, to others, the scene is central to its gritty, Bukowskiesque appeal. So maybe it's best regarded as an acquired taste and niche pursuit for a few, which brings us to the structural problems that give us an oversupply of races for an undersupply of consumers. Aligning supply and demand better is a constant refrain here, although "consumers" also include hobbyist horsemen that want to race regardless of value for punters, which complicates that issue for sure. It's good to have an array of accessible "minor leagues" for people, but too many just dilutes the product beyond value, and is more likely to discourage people than encourage them.

Point is, there are reasonable steps racing can take to broaden appeal and welcome participants, but to just step up marketing to try to drum up more bodies at the track for the oversupply of races is just putting lipstick on a pig.

As a side note, there is one notable subset of young "fans," and those are the beautiful mind types that are using formal modeling to try to beat the game. These guys don't peak in their 60s. Although they may "retire" to horseplay at a more seasoned age after tackling hedge funds and whatnot first.

[Tom]

Steve Byk's opinion of Aurelio is more along the lines of he's a jackass.
Hour #2 of Wednesday's show, with Seth Marrow.....

[Oaklawn John]

Originally Posted by Bullet Plane

That is generally the age where brain power overcomes hormones.

Having recently turned 50 and becoming more and more interested in the racing game, this comment sums it up for me!

[Horseplayersbet.com]

I think things are different now. In the 60's and 70's and even early 80's, the grandstand was full of regulars, and many kids were brought along on weekends.
This trend stopped in the 90's, and nowadays most tracks do not have live attendance numbers anywhere equal to the good old days. And children are almost non existent.

It may be true that those who turn 40 and 50 may spend more time handicapping races, but these are generally people who always had an interest in horse racing to begin with. I believe we are dealing with less new 40 year olds each and every day who ever had an interest in horse racing betting.

Like Thaskalos, I do agree that horse racing can thrive, but it really needs to focus on being a gambling game, and that means it has to attempt to compete with other forms of intellectual gambling that offer a much bigger bang for the buck.