Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
And it may be a provincial acknowledgement, but the revenue generated by NYRA Bets ~ because it's considered as 'at the track' wagering ~ substantially benefits the capital improvement, backstretch and breeding programs in New York. |
Respectfully Steve, this logic is such a stretch that even NYRA themselves hasn't reached this deep into the reasoning jar for it.
Remember in the winter when Andy made the extremely cogent and necessary criticism of the Pegasus purse structure? What if Gulfstream had said "Hey! Promoting this as a $12 million dollar race allows us to get on NBC and allows us to bring in more handle, HELPING DEVELOPMENT AND BACKSTRETCH EMPLOYEES?" Would that have been sound enough reasoning?
How about when Steve Crist (boy do we miss his voice) went right at Churchill Downs for the shameful siphoning of the Derby Day Pick 6 pool to build a pot for a jackpot bet? What if Churchill Downs came out and said "Hey! By building this jackpot pool, we will exponentially increase daily handle in a sagging bet, TRIGGERING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS." Would that have been sound enough reasoning?
Everything is about dollars and cents and trying to sugar coat it with some altruistic idea about development and the backstretch is completely unfair and a benefit of the doubt the rest of the industry would not and should not get.
This is a promotion to draw customers to their ADW. Trying to present it as anything else is slap in the face, especially to people who have betting NYRA all their lives in PA, NJ etc.