It\'s interesting that the powers that be are killing the game but we continue to play. I am always amazed at this. How many drug trainers, batch wagering, pk 6 fixes, etc does it take to get us out of the game? Or is it a great game and will survive despite the powers that be. I think it will survive just like harness racing has \"survived\". Ask yourself this question, how many regular players do you know who has gotten into the game over the last year? I don\'t know of anyone. But if you look at poker, there are so many young faces it\'s incredible.
I think we have to get rebates going, more major tournaments for players to earn large prizes and better quality of racing without these supertrainers, sound simple enough
OPM
I play online everyday and weekly in a live game; the average age is probably about 25.
I am 42 and am usually one of the oldest people in the house.
The live game attracts about 150 people and is a $250 buyin + $50 for food and booze.
If you can attract 150 people, 140 of which lose $300 and go away happy; that is truely amazing. Where did horseracing go so wrong.
Thank You
Cozzene
Post Edited (09-22-04 00:55)
There is one major answer: greed, greed from the politicians, tracks, horsemen and breeders,and wagering sites. Who is out there to represent the players? No one, if players start to get rebates, everyone is up in arms, it\'s unbelievable. The only way you can vote is with your feet, walk away. This is very difficult. You always believe that you can be the one to beat a 20% take, and in the end, it\'s just a dream that you\'re chasing.
But, I got to go look at replays for the BC now!!!
The cards don\'t eat.
Greed, Stupidity and an overall lack of racing/gambling business accumen.
I\'m a 50 year-old; I have watched expansion ruin just about every sport there is! Racing now has too many horses, tracks, meets, etc. As a Philadelphia native, I have to sit back and watch stupidity reign supreme; currently, I can\'t wager on NYRA because of some idiotic dispute. I\'m watching MD. racing go belly-up because of politics (and money) and worst of all, there are no unified rules from state to state! It\'s pretty bad when all I worry about is drugged horses, jocks on drugs, \"supertrainers\" and now, regulators (California) who don\'t enforce anything because it\'s too expensive??
I first went to the track at Arlingotn the wkend the baseball players went on strike...I have been back to about 6 baseball games over the last 10 years...had never seen a live horse race previous...now my scheduled vacations include KNLD twice per year, did Saratoga this year for first time...could care less about pro sports (save for hockey), been to most places from River Downs to Fairmount to GP (another annual trip at least twice for the season)to CD to HP...just pretty much love the whole picture from breeding to wagering...if I could fix one thing commercially, I would upgrade the track sections so my wife doesn\'t have to listen to the losers cuss and scream when the favorite loses...you\'d be surprised how much fun some of the smaller tracks can be - hell, fairmount attracts @ 4-6 thousand for friday nights...I remember @ Sam Houston they did food festivals and mariachi players walking around all day - good fun, brought new people in...and uneducated money is all green, eh?
To Fast Eddie:
You certainly can wager on NYRA. You don\'t have to wager through Phila. Park. You could set up accounts with YouBet, America Tab or Brisbet, Fairgrounds, or any of the 6 OTB\'s in NY, or others.
Post Edited (09-22-04 10:17)
The fundamental problem with tracks is they don\'t recognize their \"prized\" customer is as much a puzzle solver, an investor, as he is a gambler.
If horse racing is simply about gambling it can never compete with the cost structure of a casino. But if it\'s about \"investing\" in one\'s own convictions, it becomes a noble enough endeavor to justify the higher \"vigs\" necessitated by the enormously expensesive overheads that track operations incur.
This is not to say I don\'t think takeouts should be, or, in fact, must be reduced. But, for myself, I\'ve pretty much stopped going to tracks because I\'m tired of being treated like crap, on so many different levels, including the why didn\'t I find that out before the race level, that the takeout is the last of my worries.
So the fundamental questions track managment have to address are, how do we honor our core customers pursuit? How do we celebrate hanicappers and handicapping? If these questions can be answered, if race tracks can be converted into high energy information emporioums where informed players feel they can obtain an information edge by attending the races, then I think it\'s still possible to grow the industry in a vibrant healthy manner. But if the industry continues to disrespect their cusomers, to think of their customers as degenerate gamblers rather than savy investors, well, racing will survive, but not with the same structure as we know it now.
Post Edited (09-22-04 11:54)
Dr. Fager:
BTW, best racehorse in my lifetime...I know there are other avenues to wager, BUT, I should not have to set up multiple accounts because the game lacks uniformity, or TVG is trying to control everything, etc....