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#1
05-26-2011, 12:33 AM
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For the record, I think what the author is proposing in the positioning article is silly.
You aren't going to get people in the door by telling them they have to learn something new and solve puzzles while risking money. Sure, once you get people in the door, you can find some of them that will become players but the problem for the most part is getting people to actually come to track. And we do this by telling them that they will solve puzzles while the track takes 25% of what they bet? Good luck with that one. Fewer days, more horses in a nicer setting with greater entertainment bang. Going to the track needs to be an event with racing being part of the package. What did Churchill do differently to draw 38k? 
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#2
05-26-2011, 02:24 AM
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The appeal of horse racing should be that you can make money at it. That if you work hard enough at it you can figure out the puzzle and be financially rewarded. All this other stuff is fluff. Trying to create an atmosphere where every racing day is an event outside of Saratoga or maybe Keeneland or Del Mar is pretty much impossible. Not to mention that most tracks heavily depend on simulcasting which will always be hard to make sexy. Too often when we talk about big picture ideas in racing we forget that the majority of racing is not Saturday at Saratoga. The game needs to attract people smart enough to appreciate and relish the challenge of handicapping and greedy enough to keep coming back.
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#3
05-26-2011, 08:54 AM
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You aren't going to get enough SMART people that are DUMB enough to bet horses regularly...certainly not if your means of attracting them is by pitching this silly puzzle thing. The places you named, as well as downs after dark, do well because they sell it as an event as well as an image. The image of high society with things that appeal outside of racing and gambling. I agree that the backbone is still the gambler but in order to attract new ones you have to change the perception of the track being a seedy place where a bunch of degenerate losers and nursing homers go to waste their lives away. Vegas didn't get you in by selling you the gambling. They sold the party and lifestyle.
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#5
05-26-2011, 09:13 AM
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"hey, smart guy! Yes, you. Come on down to pimlico and give the house 25% so that you can get your windows washed by the crackhead and solve some puzzles for money. You may feel like you're in a penitentiary and you may have to dodge a few rats but this is what smart guys do!" Yes, certainly sustainable. I stand corrected.
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#6
05-26-2011, 09:19 AM
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I almost forgot the second part of the ad, the one geared toward the smart women out there:
"Hey, smart girl! Yes, you. Come on out to Pimlico and sit in a smelly smoke filled room where you can give the house 25% to help pay for the security guard to escort you out when you leave. On some days, maybe there might actually be another girl or two under the age of 70 that are here because they are smart and they like to solve puzzles. Why in God's name would you want to go to a bar or a mall or a restaurant or a show when you could be down here being eye groped?" I apologize to all. The puzzle idea rocks!
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#7
05-26-2011, 09:27 AM
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Your perception of the game is sad to me. You want to change the profile of the people at the track and my comments are about how to change the way the game is marketed to people, which in the end should improve the people at the track.
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#8
05-26-2011, 09:23 AM
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Why would it not be sustainable anywhere else? And why couldn't it help to draw more fans for the days that it wasn't a "party"?
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#9
05-26-2011, 09:33 AM
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#11
05-26-2011, 01:02 PM
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And the fact is that Saratoga has the history angle, and Keeneland and CD are located in one of the few areas where horse racing is still a big deal. Why do you think that you can bottle this festive atmosphere and transfer it other places?
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#12
05-26-2011, 01:45 PM
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Changes don't come overnight. It takes time. I agree that there are some places that are just hopeless. Obviously, the state of maryland really doesn't care very much if there is live racing there and frankly I don't see how it would be possible for either of those tracks to return to their hey days. At the same time, its hard for me to believe that Monmouth couldn't be turned into some type of Jewel. It isn't my favorite track but you have location and you have a ton of people in a great environment. Gulfstream or a revamped hialeah couldn't be made into profitable, productive venues if marketed properly?
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#13
05-26-2011, 12:16 PM
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#15
05-26-2011, 01:04 PM
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That's rich. Those are your tactics. Own them, or cry about it in another thread. The problem is you aren't bright enough for this thread. Which is why I suggested you stick to the areas where you can pretend you are.
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#16
05-26-2011, 01:29 PM
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Oh I can't wait. Obviously, you have nothing to contribute. Can you leave this thread alone and start another one for your tantrum? Thank you. 
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#17
05-26-2011, 12:57 PM
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We need to sell gambling because that is our product. What has been written about is hardly the current course. I guess people who think like you just dont understand or refuse to acknowledge that economic realities exist and we can't make every day Xmas. I find it hard to believe that we can trick potential gamblers into thinking that they are high society people and then they will start to become regulars. Especially when virtually all the growth in the gambling market is online.
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#18
05-26-2011, 01:25 PM
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I agree that the gambler is the backbone but there are other ways to bring new gamblers in or even create them that are much better than what isn't working. The "high society" thing is simply meaning that we have to change the perceptions. We have to be realistic about the perception of the game to the masses. That is what most fail to grasp. Is Belmont Park female friendly? Would you feel comfortable taking a date there? Compare it to what Churchill Downs has done with the renovations. I realize that every day can't be Christmas. But if you make more "christmas like" days, perhaps you can draw more than 50 people on regular days. Perhaps if the first experience someone has at Belmont Park isn't with Broken toilets, bad food and a general lack of hygene, maybe they might come back and bring other people with them. Maybe one out of twenty ends up falling in love with the sport...like we did. Gambling is our product and selling gambling will ensure that all you get is current gamblers. Good luck selling that vig in those venues. Good luck when horse racing results aren't even published in most newspapers on a daily any longer. Good luck when ESPN has it on their website with "other sports". The product should be "entertainment" because you want to draw current gamblers and prospective gamblers. To answer your original question about Belmont, days like these are inevitable. You can bolster them much better if you can provide a better overall experience in your "event" days. I think that they need to do a monmouth style thing and shorten the racing days or close some tracks. There aren't enough horses.
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#20
05-26-2011, 02:02 PM
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Belmont is probably better than some tracks but it still a far cry from where it needs to be. I know that this is far flung, jay, but lets say you somehow had a date. Would you bring that date to Belmont for a day at the races? How about to Arlington? Maybe? Definitely before Belmont even if live racing was dark. Maybe I am asking the wrong person You have to compare the venue and the experience it creates to the other entertainment competition.
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