Philadelphia Park

[speedking]

I'm sure many have noticed that Philadelphia Park is conspicuously absent from the PTC track list. This is certainly not the fault of Ian or anyone at PTC. None of his calls or emails to Phil. officials have ever been returned and when I attempted to intervene and expedite the process on Ian's behalf I was met with the same wall of disregard and silence. I allowed them time to regroup after the departure of Handel and expected a much more player friendly attitude, but it appears that management will continue to ignore the horseplayers while catering to the growing slots business.

This is a track which has 30% takeout rates on tri's and super's and 26% on P3's. Through their Philly Park Rewards Program you may receive up to 1.75% back in vouchers if you wager over $100K a month consistently.

Anyone who has been to the racetrack since the inception of slots knows what a miserable experience it now is. All horseplayers have been forced to the top level since they dedicated the lower floors to the slots. The owners recently tried to renege on the agreement to build a separate slots emporium and return the racetrack to it's former state. Fortunately, this attempt was met by a serious outcry from a wide group of people who are determined to make them follow through with the terms of the original agreement. How long this will take, however, is anybody's guess.

As of now, this track and those involved in its operation deserve no support at all. What follows is an excerpt from an email I received from a racing writer who has covered Philadelphia racing for a long time. I think this demonstrates the contempt and disregard for their fans and long time supporters...

speedking


"Don't worry about the selections on Pa. Derby day - I
did very little wagering because it was so crowded
there and I got busy talking to people and before I
knew it the Pa. Derby was going off. Steve Haskin
from the Blood-Horse was there with his wife and we
were talking about a lot of things, plus it was so
damn hot I couldn't wait to get out of there.
Actually the track did a nice job of adding tellers,
automated machines, bathrooms, etc. out in the Picnic
Grove and throughout, and I sent Joe Wilson an e-mail
telling him what I thought, but of course he doesn't
respond anymore to phone calls or e-mails. When the
Victor Molina horse-kick incident erupted, I guess
they figured they were being too accomodating to the
press so now they have this gag order in effect - no
communication from the stewards, Sal Sinatra or
Wilson. Shows you what a high-class operation it is.
I have covered Philly since 1992 when I worked for the
Form and the only people I used to be able to rely on
for info were the stewards, but now the Pa. Commission
has told them not to talk to the press either. Craig
Donnelly of the Inquirer was saying how ticked off he
is at Wilson, the weasel won't answer his calls,
either. Well, guess what, I always thought the
phrases "didn't return multiple phone calls" or "was
unavailable for comment" made the person in question
look silly, so that's what they'll get from now on."

[GaryG]

Didn't they have plans to bury all of their regional competitors as soon as the slot money started rolling in? Sure hasn't happened. I wouldn't bet Philly if it was the only track running. I have friends in the area who drive to Monmouth instead.

[cj]

They think because the purses are big people will want to bet on the races. With those takeout rates, it isn't going to happen. It is disgusting they are so high at a slot track.

[betovernetcapper]

Originally Posted by cj

They think because the purses are big people will want to bet on the races. With those takeout rates, it isn't going to happen. It is disgusting they are so high at a slot track.

If this is what they think I've got two words for them- Presque Isle.

[cj]

On second thought, I'm probably right. They actually probably don't give a damn if people bet the races or not with slots. I wish the government would wise up and realize they don't need horse racing to drain money from the poor with slots. While slots help horsemen, they do NOTHING for the bettor.

[OTM Al]

They clearly don't care about the racing at Pha Park now that they got slots. If you'd visited there recently, it would be quickly apparant. Gone is the luster of the Smarty Jones days already.

[Premier Turf Club]

Originally Posted by cj

I wish the government would wise up and realize they don't need horse racing to drain money from the poor with slots. While slots help horsemen, they do NOTHING for the bettor.

I guarantee at some point that will happen. It's being talked about regularly in Iowa re Prairie Meadows which pays out more in purses most nights than they take in wagering. Politicos there have seen through the premise of "slots will bring horses back which will bring back wagering, etc." They now view slots as a subsidy for track owners that supports a losing business model. BTW, Prairie refused to give us the signal, as has Penn National Gaming.

Mark my words, there will come a time when the states allow stand alone slots parlors to compete with the tracks and/or begin taxing the proceeds at 70%. And we're not talking ten years down the road, IMHO.

[BillW]

Originally Posted by Premier Turf Club

Mark my words, there will come a time when the states allow stand alone slots parlors to compete with the tracks and/or begin taxing the proceeds at 70%. And we're not talking ten years down the road, IMHO.

I read a story where PHA management was discussing moving the 10 race days to Mon./Tues and gearing back on the weekend to not inconvenience the slot players when their traffic was high. Can't be much more obvious than that.

BTW stand alone casinos are being built now in Pa.

Originally Posted by BillW

I read a story where PHA management was discussing moving the 10 race days to Mon./Tues and gearing back on the weekend to not inconvenience the slot players when their traffic was high. Can't be much more obvious than that.

BTW stand alone casinos are being built now in Pa.

I think they already did that, at least in the winter. There were some Saturday and Sunday cards with eight races. With turf racing through the summer, they're running about the same number of races during the week as on the weekend.

And yes, stand-alone casinos in PA. The racetracks all got the slots, leading to some new ones being built (Presque Isle, Chester), plus there will eventually be several casinos in Philadelphia once they decide who and where they'll be built (a very, very slow process with all the $$$ involved).

Philly Park never does the horseplayer any favors, and it's not going to get better in the future.

[DeanT]

I know we will never speak of the tracks and horsemen unions as forward thinking.......... but imo, they should have been with slots.

Most slot deals call for around 10% to the purses and 10% for the track. If they had some foresight and took 7.5% each and given 5% to the bettor in slashed rakes or big rebates it would have given this game a chance to grow, imo. Right now with slots the horse owners win and the track wins. We get nothing but smaller pools, which snowball into even smaller pools.

[Tom]

What happens to the slot revenue in a specific location as more and more locations spring up?

$X drive to Pha now to play slots, but when they open a slot-house in the city where these X's come from, they will no longer be playing at Pha. Proliferation of slot venues is going to dry some of them up. And those that are "hosts" to troubled tracks might be taking horses down the drain with them.

[Premier Turf Club]

Originally Posted by BillW

BTW stand alone casinos are being built now in Pa.

See. I post once and the world changes.

But seriously, I think it will happen with most slots/tracks in the near future.

[ldiatone]

aahh so the track takes what it takes for p3's and ex's and whatever. so one plays the other tracks because its easier to hit the bets or because PHA is so unpredictable with the wins,dd's etc. does one blame the takeouts for losses? what percent is the difference between the the other tracks and pha, or any other tracks. if i bet at pha and hit a 2h 2$ ex box for $50 instead of maybe losing one or hitting one for $56 at another track, I will not worry about the take out. when does one really care about takeout unless it's about pha? any other tracks with high takeouts no one bets?
ldiatone
ps andy, are you reading/

[turfnsport]

most tracks are around 24-25 on tris and supers.... horseplayerdaily has CRC listed at 27%...PA tracks are the highest in the nation that I am aware of...31% at PENN and 30% at PHA..PI is 29% from what I heard..

Would you shop at a retail store that charged 4-8% more for the same product everyday?

The last time I bet a PA track I was wearing a leisure suit. Those tracks are dead to me.

MikeD

[Kelso]

Originally Posted by DeanT

Most slot deals call for around 10% to the purses and 10% for the track. If they had some foresight and took 7.5% each and given 5% to the bettor in slashed rakes or big rebates it would have given this game a chance to grow, imo. Right now with slots the horse owners win and the track wins. We get nothing but smaller pools, which snowball into even smaller pools.

Surely it's not too late in any jusisdiction to set aside an additional 10% for the bettors. That's how much profit there is in those machines ... even after the political-class gets its cut.

Takeout at slots-subsidized tracks should not exceed 10% for any pool.