Meadowlands simulcasting

[joekay]

The Med did not simulcast the last CD meet and is not carrying the current FG. Now I see on their posted schedule for Jan. they are not carrying GP either.  Is it possible that they are not going to carry 2 of the 3 most important winter meetings? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.  Anybody know what\'s going on? Interesting that the DRF has not mentioned this.  Does anybody know if the Suffern, NY OTB is carrying FG now and will be carrying GP when it opens?

[jma11473]

That\'s actually wrong---DRF mentioned it a bunch of times, but this situation started at the beginning of last month and nothing new has happened since. It\'s not just the Meadowlands but 17 mid-Atlantic tracks at a negotiating impasse with TrackNet over rights fees.

When they lost Churchill:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/108641.html

When Fair Grounds opened there was another article:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/108785.html

I certainly agree that it is awful and the last thing racing needs at this time. For bettors in Massachusetts, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey who bet onshore, right now it looks like a winter without being able to wager on Fair Grounds, Gulfstream, or Santa Anita.

[miff]

The renewal of signal contracts for simulcasting is being challenged by tracks which seek a better deal for their signal.With handle down,tracks are demanding a higher price for their signal in an effort to offset reduced revenues.The tracks bear a much higher cost to put on live racing than any \"simulcast only\" venue and deserve a fair price for their signal.Tracks originally sold their simo signal too cheaply, not surprising for the clueless, business challenged racing exec.

The possible increased cost to the \"simulcast only\"venues, in turn, may cause them to review their rebate policy, especially to the whales. A professional rebate whale working on a couple of points and high volume could decide it\'s no longer worth it if his/her rebate rate is reduced.That would not be good for anyone.

Figures show that wagering is in general decline and it does not seem that anyone, esp racetrack execs, has any innovative ideas on how to stem the tide.

Mike

[joekay]

Thanks jma, i missed those articles.

[Dana666]

I keep asking the management at a few different tracks in Jersey and no one has any answers. It looks like SA, GP, and FG are gone for 2010. NYC OTB does have it on their schedule, as does Philadelphia Park, so you may want to investigate those options (I think you can bet those tracks in AC too which does me no good). For me either option is a hike or an inconvenience. These days I play mostly at home on my PC, so I\'m left wondering what the heck I\'ll be doing with all that free time! I keep hoping they\'ll have a last minute agreement, but I\'m starting to wonder whether that is very likely. It does seem inconceivable after all these years that the racing landscape could change in this way. The ripple effect is bad for everyone down the line too - think about all the people who work at the tracks or sell products based on simulcast players. I can\'t imagine there will be anyone at Monmouth Park during the days. Not a Happy Holiday at all.

[RICH]

Dana

I do race replays, its not live, it\'s a couple minutes later, no big deal to me.

[jma11473]

Rich, with these tracks you can\'t even bet them. In NJ, we can\'t watch NYRA races but can bet them and watch them on the NYRA site. The TrackNet tracks we won\'t even be able to wager on, and while they might be listed on the Philly Park site they are also in the Mid-Atlantic group and I don\'t think they will be offered by them in the new year. I think TVG will be in the same boat too.

Joekay, I think you\'re right that this deserves more publicity. I guess there\'s no news so nothing to report---everyone is fighting over the little scraps of cash that are left.

[chrifron]

I bet in person or on line through Philly Park Phone Bet. Although SA was originally listed on their schedule for this week, they have updated their calendars and there is no FG, SoCal or NoCal racing listed. Once Calder closes, there will be no Florida racing (GP). For a sport that is already hemorrhaging, this type of insanity only further ruins the game.

In Pennsylvania, I seriously doubt if they prioritize simulcasting revenue, as live racing at both Philly Park and Penn Nat have full fields and outrageously higher purses for claimers that are fueled by slots. When you see people like Doug O\'Neill running a stable of horses on the PA circuit, you realize that the game has changed right under our noses. As a person that has been a fairly large player at Philly Park over the past 10 years, I am convinced that they could care less about horse players. You can get better comps these days as a penny or nickel slot player at their casino.

 Their behaviors over the past year feel to me that as if they are driving horse players away.  Most of their locations have cut way back on hours of operation, and there are rarely enough tellers on duty as well as limited food service. This was not the case before they got into the slots/casino business. Prior to that time, supportive players were treated like gold--now I feel like we are being treated like crap--and nobody cares.

The removal of simulcasting on \"premium\" tracks like CD, SA, FAG, and GP is just another nail in the bettor\'s coffin. Horse racing is dying, and the major players in the business these days who remain solvent (Penn National Gaming, Greenwood, etc.) are all slots casino Companies. One need only look at the example set by the State of West Virginia--it is the most fiscally solvent State Government in the US--because of the steady stream of slots revenue from CT and MNR over the past 15 years.

Jerry, thanks so much for the free sheets again this year--but sadly, I doubt if I will be using them much or at all, as I prefer playing Santa Anita and Fair Grounds at this time of year--especially with the poor quality of the inner track at Aqueduct when it is open.

If you want a good contrast, take a look at Poker. Twenty years ago it was low-key, sleazy and in smoky, dimly-lit back rooms--and rarely found outside of Las Vegas and the few card rooms in California. Today, the WSOP gets top billing on ESPN (and way better ratings than horse racing) and Poker is played by tens of millions on line or at numerous and rapidly-expanding legal gaming locations. Horse racing, on the other hand is too busy with infighting (such as the current simulcasting debacle) to properly market and grow its sport, so it doesn\'t have a way of maintaining its fan base or creating enough new fans to sustain the sport. Unless something drastically changes, I believe the game will barely exist twenty years from now.

[TGJB]

On one hand, I\'m glad this site has become the home of serious discussion of this industry, and specifically of issues of interest to horseplayers. This is a very strong post. But if you guys really want to make a difference, start sending things like this as letters to the editors of DRF, Bloodhorse, etc. Five or ten of these would go a long way to calling attention to our issues.

It\'s worth pointing out that they limit me to about one letter to DRF every 6 months. I can\'t do it all, guys.

[jma11473]

The latest---nothing positive unfortunately:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/109713.html