[quote=ShadowRoll]
I just think that slots, in the long run, won't save the sport against the other competition for the gambling dollar that you mention. And I don't want to see horse racing become a secondary interest at race tracks. Unless the racing product is promoted as something of value itself, then racetracks will simply turn into slots parlors, with less and less money dedicated to racing and, eventually, the replacement of racing altogether for the more profitable business of slots. Just imagine how many machines you could fit at Belmont if you paved over the track.
I don't think that you can look at it as secondary intrest. You are going to have people there for the slots and have people there for the horses. For the 5 hours that there is live racing, hopefully it will be promoted enough that some of the slot people might show an intrest and bet a few races. Maybe you will even get a few to become fans of the sport. The important thing is to get them to the venue. Bottom line is that all these people are GAMBLERS. Don't forget a lot of that older slot crowd are degenerate number players. So who is to say that before some of these people hit the slot room they go to the window and put in triples for every race. They want action too. They will never be fans of the sport or love it like people on this site, but they will be involved. Let's face it even the most die hard of fan doesn't want to go to Aqueduct in February. So if you could have another means of entertainment for people and money from that will be going into the pot to support the industry, what's wrong with that? You are not going to lose the segment of people that go to the track that loves racing to the slots. If anything they might stay longer or bring other people with them.
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