Why is Bill Finley calling us losers??
 

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ill&id=2848732

I only read the negative stuff people say. How does he know who lost money. Did he see my tax return??

O yea, his other stuff makes sence, as it pertains to happy trainers, owners, and slot GOV'T takers.

Horse players are a bunch of losers:D I must be the savvy player he mentioned:)

How did you get that from what was a well thought out article that makes a great deal of sense?

It is a great read Throat, and he is a great writer I always find time to read.

quote:
But what if racing were transformed into a gambling game that no longer caused customers to go broke

quote:
the fact that it is a gambling enterprise that is so difficult to beat that virtually everyone who tries it loses money

I love the artical, but I am not a loser, or am I broke.

That's all Throat

I rarely agree with Finley but he seems on target here

hardly

The majority of the article talked about reviving racing, MisterB. The truth of the matter is that most horseplayers probably DO lose money. I agree with Finley here... if they could get more people at the track, racing would definitely be better.

Both quotes are essentially correct....especially the second. The mathematical fact is the takeout will essentially case many players to lose all their money over time.

It's article. And he is doing nothing more than stating the facts. In fact, this is a hard game to beat. In fact, the takeout makes it even tougher. In fact, most of the players do lose money.

I really liked the article or atleast the angle of the ideas. Racing needs to realize that what they get now from the racing is next to nothing. They wouldn't do badly to cut it further and might not lose a cent based on increased volume. I am also a fan of the bonus for on-track bettors. It would give you a reason to come out to the track.

Last thought, why in the hell would struggling tracks, like the ones in Maryland, still charge for parking and entrance. All it does is keep people away. Have you ever paid to enter a casino?

Can't fight facts or factorials. But that is not my case, and I don't think it is for some other players either. I don't like being lumped or tossed in a group that have the game mixed up between gambling their check away, or properly placing a bet in my favor.

Well you are the best handicapper ever, so there is no need to change the way things are being done. Sorry.

I think if you asked Finley to take "losers" out of the column or the reference to the folks who will obviously find the "disease or tilt level" in any gambling endeavor he would remove the line from what was otherwise a pretty decent set of thoughts.

"the forrest for the trees" probably applies here.....who among us doesn't want smaller takeouts and larger purses although the larger purses may create another problem when you have $3500 claimers running for purses 10X the claim price something is wrong here.

OK, thanks

No problem. It must be true you said it twice in this thread.

sure

Um no, sir. I am the best handicapper evar! MisterB is simply number 2.

I stand corrected and I forgot to include the artwork.

There's no way what Finley describes is going to happen. As far as getting more people out to the track, that ship has sailed. The only growth in the sport is ADW and aside from SoCal, Saratoga and big days at the other places, people are just not going to spend the extra $20 it costs to drive, park, admit and have a lousy sandwich to go to the races live. People shop, pay their bills and gamble online. They are not going to drive to Hawthorne in March when they can bet any track they want in their living room.

Aside from takeout, the biggest problem is that all the tracks gave away the store in the 80's when they cut the simulcasting revenue-share deals that provide very little revenue to the tracks actually running the races. All the host tracks thought simulcasting was found money and didn't recognize how much it cannibalized their live product. The simulcasting deals are what is killing the sport along with takeout.

It's absurd that places like Yonkers, all of the Ontario harness tracks and most other tracks even exist today. There's no valid economic reason for all these tracks artificially propped up by unfair simulcast deals and slot machines to exist. When a place like the Palm Beach Dog Track handles $200k each on NYRA and Gulfstream every winter Saturday, with less than 25% going to those host tracks, something is very wrong.

But these mostly small tracks with slots and/or simulcast deals are making money. Lots of it. And most of the slots tracks are partnered with big gaming companies who are far better than traditional race track managers at playing the game at the legislative level. They will fight to the death to resist any change. And they will most very likely win.

"Imagine a game where there was no takeout or a very small one. The same exacta that is now paying $40 would pay $50. The winner that now returns $8 would pay $10."

I think we would all love to play a track with little or no takeout

i know i would.

That's why rebates are such a nice addition. If you lower the take, which will never happen, to a certain level that would serve as the rebate.