Handle Decline Continues...

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

30 years ago you would have never heard of guys you have named in this thread because there was no simulcasting and for the most part people followed one circuit and no one paid any attention to anyones win percentage.

The fundamental premise of the thread - that cheating is "rampant" at all tracks - is something that I do not agree with, as I believe the vast majority of trainers are plying their trades within the rules. Will there always be someone trying to utilize illicit means to make money? Yes, but the point that you made above is something that racing needs to come to grips with.

In the 1980s, before the simulcasting explosion, when racing was really a really a regional exercise, a NY horseplayer had to deal with Oscar Barrera, and likely had no idea who his counterparts in places like California or Philadelpia were. Now, because of full-card simulcasting and racing really becoming a national sport, they are aware of guys like Mullins and Guerrero, and the perception is that guys like that exist in almost every racing jurisdiction. Even if the "cheating" is not "rampant" at all tracks, the existence of guys like those mentioned at almost every venue lead some to conclude that the problem is universal.

That said, pointman makes an excellent point about the demise of NYC OTB and its impact on national handle. Also, I'd love to know the comparative numbers about handle through off-shore accounts that never hits the pools. My sense is that handle continues to bleed out of the pools in this manner.