THREAD 2: Brisbet/ Belmont/ Silver Charm
Yes Silver Charm, they have a product which is absolutely addictive
and they want to make it inaccessible.
I pay to have TVG as part of my Direct TV package. I can\'t use TVG\'s
wagering services because they are not available to NY residents.
I can wager all I want with Brisbet, but not on Belmont. TVG shows
races I can not bet on with Brisbet; Brisbet accepts wagering on races
I can not watch on TVG.
Yes, I could sign up with NYRA or OTB and watch on TVG and bet by phone
or on the internet. But I got spoiled. I had Paradise. I had Pinnacle
which allowed me to bet on anything from who would be elected President
in 2008 to World Cup Soccer to Racing from anywhere. I could sit
in my robe, grill my dirty water dogs, play with my blender (Ronrico rum,
Meyers rum, Jim Beam, lemonade, pineapple juice, trust me it will taste
like fruit punch until you try to stand). I did not have to pay gas,tolls
parking, admission or even get dressed. I did not have to be subjected to
a facility which was kept in a shameful condition, a surly and in-
efficient mutuel clerk, a warm and overpriced glass of beer. And oh yes
Pinnacle offered a not insignificant rebate, and put me on the honor
system in terms of reporting taxable winnings.
Yes I realize that while I was in Pinnacle/Utopia,none of my hard earned
cyber shekels were going back into Racing. But even if I was not spinning
a turnstile or betting at the track, I was still involved with Racing,
buying the Form online, occasionally the TGs. I was still in the game.
The word \"disconnect\" used to be a verb; it has morphed into a noun.
Racing is, by getting involved in all of the alphabet games (TVG, OTB,
NYRA, CDSN), making the game less accessible to fans present and
potential; there is a significant \"disconnect\" between Racing and its
fans.
OK, Silver Charm and Richiebee are pissed off. All we want to do is
place the occasional wager, and the powers that be are not making it
easy. But somehow, maybe not with the same frequency as in the past,
SC and RB will find a way to place a wager, even if it means depositing
money with a business entity which is in Chapter 11 (NYRA) or one of
the most poorly managed patronage mills in the history of New York City
(OTB).
In the olden days, part of the intrigue of Racing was the connection
between the average American and the horse; in my formative horse-
playing years, I remember reading about the trainers who grew up as
cowboys on the open range, about the trainers who had been involved with
the Cavalry in the military. I think both the late Richard Dutrow and the
late Grover G. \"Bud\" Delp grew up in the dairy business, their first
connection with horses being the draft horses which were utilized for
daily deliveries of dairy products.
That human/equine connection is all about gone. How many posters out
there have actually ridden a horse? How many of you folks who have
children or grandchildren would want them to involve themselves with
Racing with the gusto that you have? Where are the racing fans of the
future coming from?
The horse was replaced in our culture with the automobile; imagine if
NASCAR was bright enough to offer pari- mutuel wagering on an
exclusive sanctioned website on one major nationally televised race
per week? KA- CHING?!?