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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
This is so much the wrong attitude that I am genuinely surprised. The horseplayer that enters a racetrack pays PLENTY by wagering. Even if he ( or she ) only puts $100 through the windows in a day they are contributing roughly $20 to the racetrack....are you suggesting they should be expected to pay an additional $2 ( or more ) for the right to help racing in this manner?
But, nowadays it's actually even worse. With the majority of the money wagered these days going in through simulcasting, host tracks receive only a fragment of most of their wagering takeout, thus on-track dollars are even more precious. So, yes, asking people to pay for the right to wager at their facility is puzzling.
But, then again, at least you have the State of NY on your side, as they have effectively forbidden NYRA to allow their players in for free.
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i guess i just don't see it as a big deal. on the one hand, it's a small amount, so you might wonder why they bother at all. on the other, it's such a small amount, you wonder how it could keep someone from attending.
as for people on my side, i don't feel i have anyone there as my state only allows me to wager at the track itself. no online, no tvg, nothing. so i'm really hamstrung about how i can spend my money.
this thread is about improving the product. i think the $2 entry fee is a tremendously small part of a far larger problem, a declining fan base.
who knows, maybe if the tracks got rid of the fee, and trumpeted 'free admission', you might get a few more in there. for me personally, i don't have a problem with paying $2 to enter the track.
maybe they could put that fee towards more advertising. or towards horse rescue/retirement.