A No Brainer to Increase Handle - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

GatetoWire · 10-04-2010, 11:39 PM

Can anyone give me a real good reason why no major track has decided to race at night during the week?

How much more would the NYRA handle be if they raced Wed, Thur and Friday at night?

I know there are laws preventing night racing but let's get serious. Baseball use to only play day games during the week but they realized that the people with the capital to buy the tickets all have day jobs. The result...90% of all baseball games during the week are at night.

Why...because they make more money by playing the games at night.

I like most people under the age of 60 work during the day and as a result basically only play on Weekends and during the occasionally holiday when I am off work.

My handle would dramatically rise if I had a East Coast dirt track with great racing Wed, Thur and Friday that didn't require me to miss work in order to see.

Am I missing something? How could handle not rise by catering to the masses and racing when they are not working?

Horseplayersbet.com · 10-04-2010, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatetoWire

Can anyone give me a real good reason why no major track has decided to race at night during the week?

How much more would the NYRA handle be if they raced Wed, Thur and Friday at night?

I know there are laws preventing night racing but let's get serious. Baseball use to only play day games during the week but they realized that the people with the capital to buy the tickets all have day jobs. The result...90% of all baseball games during the week are at night.

Why...because they make more money by playing the games at night.

I like most people under the age of 60 work during the day and as a result basically only play on Weekends and during the occasionally holiday when I am off work.

My handle would dramatically rise if I had a East Coast dirt track with great racing Wed, Thur and Friday that didn't require me to miss work in order to see.

Am I missing something? How could handle not rise by catering to the masses and racing when they are not working?

Night racing seems to have its limitation. Woodbine has been racing with great purses on Wednesday nights for decades, yes even when it was a dirt track, and they barely do an average of $200,000 a race in handle.

magwell · 10-05-2010, 12:59 AM

Racing stays 20 years behind the times, always, and that's the facts.

PaceAdvantage · 10-05-2010, 02:01 AM

Remember when racing was in its heyday? Packed grandstands all the time...guess what...they raced during the day back then too...

And, I'm only guessing here...but back then, most people also worked and went to school during the day, correct?

CBedo · 10-05-2010, 02:57 AM

If every track raced at night, it might (maybe) help, but if everyone else is running during the day, then you risk losing a large population of simulcast bettors by running under the lights.

lamboguy · 10-05-2010, 03:55 AM

it won't help a thing. the only thing that will get racing back is to get the states out of regulating the game and for the sport to have its own commision like they do in every other successful sport.

with that and a few changes the game could be on firm ground without slots.

the little guy · 10-05-2010, 04:04 AM

Perhaps somebody should compare last Thursday's handle at Hollywood, Opening Day of the Oak Tree meet, with the prior year's handle.

slewis · 10-05-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatetoWire

Can anyone give me a real good reason why no major track has decided to race at night during the week?

How much more would the NYRA handle be if they raced Wed, Thur and Friday at night?

I know there are laws preventing night racing but let's get serious. Baseball use to only play day games during the week but they realized that the people with the capital to buy the tickets all have day jobs. The result...90% of all baseball games during the week are at night.

Why...because they make more money by playing the games at night.

I like most people under the age of 60 work during the day and as a result basically only play on Weekends and during the occasionally holiday when I am off work.

My handle would dramatically rise if I had a East Coast dirt track with great racing Wed, Thur and Friday that didn't require me to miss work in order to see.

Am I missing something? How could handle not rise by catering to the masses and racing when they are not working?

You're absolutely correct.

But now that NYRA has joined the Welfare ranks (slot revenue) there will be little incentive to experiment with ways to be self sustaining.

slewis · 10-05-2010, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the little guy

Perhaps somebody should compare last Thursday's handle at Hollywood, Opening Day of the Oak Tree meet, with the prior year's handle.

I'm not even going to check but I presume it was down considerably.

Big deal...It's California.

Please dont compare wrong coast racing to ours.....

Maybe you might want to look at friday evenings at ....um Churchill?

slewis · 10-05-2010, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Remember when racing was in its heyday? Packed grandstands all the time...guess what...they raced during the day back then too...

And, I'm only guessing here...but back then, most people also worked and went to school during the day, correct?

Packed grandstands during the week? Uh....that's a stretch.

The thread was on HANDLE ...(not attendance)

andymays · 10-05-2010, 10:08 AM

When betting on Horses becomes a good bet again for more Horseplayers then handle will increase.

Until then other gambling games of luck like slots and skill like poker and sports betting are going to have priority.

jballscalls · 10-05-2010, 10:12 AM

if i remember right CD's handle was down significantly on the night cards from last year no??

if it's something that is done as a special once in a while thing it will be a hit. if you do it everyday, it will be similar crowds to the ones that are there.

my experience has been horseplayers like playing during the day.

DeanT · 10-05-2010, 10:16 AM

With 8 of ten horseplayers over 50 (a good deal retired and enjoying life) I dont think it matters a heck of a lot (imo).

Andy is right, I believe - make racing a good bet and people will play.

Kinda like the stock market. Etrade made volume explode. People had day jobs, trading was going on during the day, yet boom, handle exploded in the 1990's. People saw value because a trade could cost them $4 instead of $400, and the markets were going up and provided trading value.

Racing has lived with the axiom "if you build it [offer a stakes race or build a racetrack] people will come", but they have to change to "if you offer value, people will play your game"

slewis · 10-05-2010, 10:38 AM

[QUOTE=DeanT]With 8 of ten horseplayers over 50 (a good deal retired and enjoying life) I dont think it matters a heck of a lot (imo).

QUOTE]

You are probably pretty accurate here.

Now I'll ask....what will your percentage be 15 yrs from now?

Still 8 of 10 being over 50?

More like 9.7 out of 10 over 50.

See the problem Dean?

slewis · 10-05-2010, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jballscalls

if i remember right CD's handle was down significantly on the night cards from last year no??

if it's something that is done as a special once in a while thing it will be a hit. if you do it everyday, it will be similar crowds to the ones that are there.

my experience has been horseplayers like playing during the day.

Maybe I was wrong. I dont feel like researching it.

I based my comment on what a Kentucky based trainer told me....on how much of a "social event" the friday evening racing had become.

Regardless, how do you get 20-40 yr olds interested in racing if they are working 8-6 M-F?

With so many things to do on weekends, especially in NY, it's very obvious why everyone interested in racing is over 50.

NOTHING is done to cultivate the young person....NOTHING.