Letter to the Editor

[GMB@BP]

I didnt write this but I could have, even the part about account wagering was accurate and still is to a point in my state.

https://www.paulickreport.com/news/r...-for-50-years/

[JustRalph]

Amen

[aaron]

Originally Posted by GMB@BP

I didnt write this but I could have, even the part about account wagering was accurate and still is to a point in my state.

https://www.paulickreport.com/news/r...-for-50-years/

Pretty much sums up how most of us who used to attend the track feel.

[JeremyJet]

Wow, that's one heck of a story. I feel his pain.

My story runs along the same lines, but I'm still hanging in there. Tough to give up on a sport I've followed since the late 70s.

[cj]

Originally Posted by GMB@BP

I didnt write this but I could have, even the part about account wagering was accurate and still is to a point in my state.

https://www.paulickreport.com/news/r...-for-50-years/

That is the only part I don't like, any of us could have written it, even Ray Paulick. It loses something when somebody won't put a name to it. It is like reading a cliff notes version of Twitter or PA on any racing day.

[burnsy]

I sort of agree. No name put to it. But when you say any of us that are 50 something or older could of wrote it, that’s a big problem for horse racing . It’s says his family is still involved in the business so I can see his trepidation . The truth really hurts worse than an exaggeration. He could cause people not to speak to him. When you speak in facts that people don’t want to hear. They don’t like you. Most people like to sweep problems under the rug or down play the situation. And horse racing is almost king of that. Much in in this society actually runs that way.

[The_Turf_Monster]

You have easier access to betting than ever, you have 5 figures of races offered in North America every year, and you can bet them from the comfort of your couch. If you can’t string together a dozen races a day to play out of that, it’s more on you than the racing product we have

[proximity]

santa anita is an absolute disaster.

i was reacquainting myself with mr quinn's handicapper's stakes festival the other day and thought i'd love to see the pps the businessman on page 4 (?) was complaining about before his lunch even reached the table. 2022s probably made it look like the breeder's cup!!

[andicap]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

You have easier access to betting than ever, you have 5 figures of races offered in North America every year, and you can bet them from the comfort of your couch. If you can’t string together a dozen races a day to play out of that, it’s more on you than the racing product we have

Why should I have to look through five or six cards to find a few precious races to play? How many people want to spend hours a day to pore through all those races to find the lonely nuggets, then sit through the entire afternoon to make sure you get the proper value because morning lines are a joke? With so many casual players leaving the game, finding value has become an almost impossible, joyless chore.

The author is spot on -- though I agree with CJ that leaving it anonymous takes away much of the power. Adding to his complaints: nearly 40% winning favorites, druggie super trainers, and whales killing the odds in the last seconds.

Plus, everyone has access to state-of-the-art speed and pace figures like CJ's so finding value is more difficult than ever.

Many of those I know who are still winning keep deep databases going back years using MS Access-type program combined with handicapping software. That's more work than I'm willing to do. There are excellent racing software programs out there, but you have to work harder and harder to find an edge because so many players are using them.

So, sure, sit there smugly and say "it's on me." Maybe it is, but in the end, racing will continue to wither away to near irrelevancy.

[NorCalGreg]

"With so many casual players leaving the game, finding value has become an almost impossible, joyless chore."

Great quote, andicap. No truer words were ever spoken.

[classhandicapper]

With so many casual players leaving the game, finding value has become an almost impossible, joyless chore.

I agree with this 100%.

1. The information available to the public is way better. So the causal and even moderately serious player is way better than years ago.

2. The computer assisted players are making the pools more efficient.

3. I'm convinced the closing of NYC OTB also did some harm. We know NYRA and other platforms recaptured some of those players and may have benefited their own bottom lines. Some OTB players had phone accounts and just shifted. But there was a lot of absolutely dead money coming through the windows at NYCOTB on many tracks from the most causal of neighborhood players. They didn't even know enough to open OTB phone accounts to avoid the surcharge. They also didn't leave their neighborhoods to go to AQU or BEL Cafe instead. That was the deadest of dead money that simply left the pools. There's no way to quantify it because there are too many moving parts in the overall handle, but I personally know plenty of people that used to bet every day that left the game as soon as NYCOTB closed except for maybe the Derby and a few other races each year.

[tbwinner]

It's not fun anymore.

Over the past decade, my gambling/entertainment budget has increased a lot but horse wagering has gone down significantly compared to the past and as a % of my bankroll. I "discovered" the joy of Vegas in around 2016 and have been hooked since. Play a $1 denom 99.5% video poker game for hours on end---free drinks, comp rooms and food, and a chance at letting variance let you be ahead---keeps me going back. Hell, even a 5-10% hold mid-to-high limit slot provides more of a long term return and gives you the chance at a score.

What does racing offer? $10 admission, $6 program, $8 beer, $6 hot dog, all before you make your first bet at a 18%+ take. Then add the fact most races are run by heavy favorites it's no FUN anymore !!! Once a month, I get hooked into the majestic sport again only to be disgusted at the end of the day by a bad ride, 3-1 shot being bet down to 3-5, a ridiculous DQ, or, more likely, just shitty handicapping or bad bets. Then I reflect, think, I'd rather play a game of chance (RNG, dice throw, cards, etc) and get WAY more entertainment value out of it.

Racing has done NOTHING to attract new fans. We've said it before, the old fans are dying and not being replaced. Computer wagering sucks, the after-the-bell wagering/odds updates BLOWS, and tracks and horsemen with a holier-than-thou attitude makes this a DYING sport. Horsemen should be on their HANDS AND KNEES thankful for all the casino purse supplements. One day, maybe voters and politicians will get wise, and realize the subsidies don't need to happen anymore. Say goodbye to broken down 5k claimers running for 20K.

Maybe that's what the sport needs.

[PaceAdvantage]

Except, racing can still be a positive expectation endeavor in the long run.

Casinos, outside of poker, can never offer that sort of possibility.

[ReplayRandall]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Except, racing can still be a positive expectation endeavor in the long run.

Casinos, outside of poker, can never offer that sort of possibility.

I believe you can beat sports as well....In my case, baseball.

[The_Turf_Monster]

There are overlays to bet in nearly every race. It may take you into the quinella pool to find it, though it’s usually sitting right there in the WPS

I’ve yet to see any software that’s truly state of the art fwiw, so anybody relying on it is doing it to their own detriment and anybody looking at it for why they can’t find value is just using it as an excuse