Racing dying? Look at the handles stupid.

[fishorsechess]

Lots of people think racing is dying because there aren't enough
young people taking up the sport. And attendance down.
But go figure. Attendance is down because of internet/phone
wagering. And if racing is dying why are the handles still up?

[sjk]

Some of us are betting 7000 races a year. How many people were doing that 15 years ago?

[PaceAdvantage]

Eventually though, something is going to give. The graph I posted recently looks to be peaking.....

[Suff]

Originally Posted by sjk

Some of us are betting 7000 races a year. How many people were doing that 15 years ago?

Very good point.

[Observer]

The game gets knocked for "young people" not being at the track .. but aren't they most likely to be the ones wagering online .. aren't they most likely to be working during the week .. or in school, etc.

And just what age exactly counts as "young" ????

[Tom]

7,000 races! Wow!


I find that as years go by, I find less and less bets worth making. Even with all the track avaialbe to me, I rarely find more than a handful of races worth betting every week. Small fields, late odds drops, questionable trainers....
A couple of years ago, when I still actually went to a track., I would go 3-4 days in a row and never pull the trigger.
I would say now, for every 20 races I handicap, I play 2-3.

[QuarterCrack]

For what it's worth, I see a fairly good amount of 20-somethings at the track when I go. I don't know if that's just because I tend to go on Saturday, or what. I'm 27 and go to the track as many times as I can, and I bet quite often online - maybe there are more who do most of their wagering online. Not sure. None of my friends are into racing.

Poker is so big right now - that also used to be thought of as an old man's game. Something changed; TV coverage, I guess, as well as online play. I would think more exposure and PR would help racing, but I don't know how much.

[sjk]

Tom,

I let the computer do almost all the work.

It seems a shame but I am reluctant to go to the track because I can't play as many races while I am there and even if there is live racing going on its hard to sit where you can watch the races and still play a number of tracks. It doesn't seem appealing to drive back and forth and get less action (inevitably missing winners I would have caught at home).

Hard to reconcile today's game with 20 years ago when I lived in Lexington and the only opportunities were one track 6 weeks a year, 5 days a week, 8 races a day.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Easter Sunday is kid's day at BM.

[kingfin66]

Originally Posted by Tom

7,000 races! Wow!


I find that as years go by, I find less and less bets worth making. Even with all the track avaialbe to me, I rarely find more than a handful of races worth betting every week. Small fields, late odds drops, questionable trainers....
A couple of years ago, when I still actually went to a track., I would go 3-4 days in a row and never pull the trigger.
I would say now, for every 20 races I handicap, I play 2-3.

I can't tell you how refreshing that is to hear. Based on these comments alone, I would surmise that you turn a profit at the game, or at least come very close. Successful gamblers have this type of discipline.

[chickenhead]

there is still a stigma around gambling, but the stigma moves around...

poker is chic now, you can play texas hold 'em and people are interested...

the easy availability of Indian Casinos here in CA have made playing slots an acceptable form of weekly entertainment, so long as you don't get carried away and start playing the quarter slots (God Forbid), gotta stick with the nickels or better yet pennies....and don't even think about blackjack..

It's ok to be a horseplayer during the TC, that's nice and chic too -- the OTB swells with people. For the real chic the Breeders Cup is ok...but tell someone you just got back from the track any other time of year and they think you're a degenerate....

"Oh, was there a big race?"

"Nope"

they think you're a bum.

.....but the thing is, there is nothing much chic about the average day at the races..they've got that much right.

[Macdiarmadillo]

Compared to the growth of other forms of gambling, racing is being left in the dust. Compared to what was bet like 50 years ago, adjusted for inflation, racing handle is indeed shrinking.

[PaceAdvantage]

50 years ago, racing was one of the ONLY ways to get a bet down, legally or illegally, for most. There is so much more competition today -- lotteries, casinos in places other than Vegas and AC, internet casinos, online poker, sports betting, etc. etc.

[kenwoodallpromos]

The Reno Sands just sent me n the wife coupons for 3 free nites each. I'm waiting for Magna and Pimlico the make me a deal on the infield.

[hurrikane]

Trust me Ken, you don't want to fight the Pimilco infield.

Or the local neighborhood outfield either.