While Churchill does not have alternative gaming/sales subsidies like most of the other Kentucky tracks. they do have something that nobody else has, and that's Oaks/Derby, the absolute cash cow of all of American racing. By my estimate, based on attendance and admission prices, they make $15 million just in admission fees alone over the two days, before anybody even spends a penny inside the gates. I've never been to a derby on track, but I'm sure there are ample opportunities to spend money once inside, and not just at the windows. But that $15 million would be enough to provide $350,000 daily purses for the entire spring meet, and that's if they didn't make any money elsewhere, which obviously they do. I know that's not exactly the way the world works, but I'm saying that they should make enough off those two days to subsidize the rest of the year if the other days are not profitable.
I played Canterbury this weekend and didn't do that well (after all, when you lose the takeout is still 100%) but it looked like competitive racing and I will be back for more.
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