Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

keystone — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 23:02:01 GMT

Racing decline can be acccepted only if they are given an even playing field with the casino portion of the same owners business. They sure knew how to promote racing when they were looking to close the area competition in the hopes of the casino license in the future. Right after that racing delcined. Could it be there was no longer a grandstand to watch live racing on the track. Could it be that there is absolutlely no marketing of the industry- not even an inch on the bottom of the full page casino ads.

Do you reaize that there is not even a sign on the street or building letting potential customers know that racing is still going on? Most people I speak to remember going to the track when there used to be horses running there. Guess what- they still are and no one knows.

I am sure that soon the operators will go to the state crying broke and that racing revenue is down. Do you know of any business that has a chance of success without exposure. Apply the same effort into racing that is spent on the casinos and you will see different results. The Smarty Jones statue that was promised at Parx has never materialized and probably never will. After all it was his name in the state casino voting that was helped pass the bill to begin with.

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

Gina Powell — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:43:25 GMT

I can tell you what I learned strictly from a small TB owner/trainer. My parents and me supported the Woodbine racetrack 4 years. In fact, a large portion of horsepeople were small outfits (1-10), and we all made a living.

We struggled, but fought hard for the racino concept. Enter Woodbine racino. The "new" management conducted the "sweep & clean" approach. We were denied stalls OR they were reduced to the point where you could no longer make a living.

Now Woodbine horsepeople are the HUGE outfits or training 4 board members. Very few exceptions. The big money wiped-out almost entirely the small outfit. So the big money was concentrated in very few hands.

Look at these other tracks; it is the same trainers getting 40+ stalls year in and year out. That isn't competition, rather a monopoly enjoyed by few. So based on this experience I would rather keep the casino and big money out and get back to the old days of better horse racing where the best horse wins, NOT the best connections!!

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

MikeM — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:55:02 GMT

With the exception of Gulf Stream there has been no effort to improve the fan experience at the racetracks.Lets face it, the last thing the casino operators want is to promote other forms of gambling.It's inevitable that the politicians raid the revenue generated by the racinos. Why, because they can.

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

PipeDope — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:11:24 GMT

Well this is very easy to understand for any forward-thinker in the horse racing industry.

Those running race tracks everywhere (including the racing end of so-called 'racinos') are simply NOT OPERATING THE RACING END EFFICIENTLY, and in the way it should be operated.

Drum it through your collective heads that racing and casinos are being operated the same way, each as if the customers' loss is the house's gain. So the operators on both sides of the partitions sit idly by with their respective hands out. Each showing exactly no outward interest in whether the on-site customers win or lose.

In all reality, track operators need to be REMINDED that their revenue comes NOT from how much the public loses, but instead racing's revenue is realized as a product of HOW MUCH THE PUBLIC WAGERS.

Pari-mutuel horse racing entities need only practice BLATANTLY ASSISTING THEIR WAGERING PUBLIC at doing better, collectively, vs. the nation-wide simulcast pools, and the HUGE, empty HOLE which stands between track operators and the next level of common sense, will be easily filled.

Horse racing should have taken it TO other forms of gambling/gaming in this way decades ago!!!

When, by the very make-up of your game of chance, YOU can afford to ASSIST YOUR PUBLIC blatantly and directly at knowing better financial results collectively, then it is absolutely ludicrous that you don't DO SO first thing each day!!!!!

Racing has for many years been playing some sort of 'defense' (or perhaps a 'stall' of some sort - stalling its own demise in the minds of some) when all along horse racing should have been playing OFFENSE in the way of capitalizing on the very pari-mutuel wagering which sets it apart from all other forms of gambling.

Does anybody believe that Thoroughbred horse racing in North America HAS another 20+ years to blindly waste in the present oblivious fashion??

It is time to utilize common sense and innovate in this area.

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

Frank J. — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:02:26 GMT

Nice article Tom, one that interests me alot since I live 5 miles from Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs here in PA. I was pissed but not surprised to hear a few weeks ago when our wonderful Governor made his decision to rob the fund of casino money set aside for horse racing, etc. which when of course when he was running for office said he would never do. Mohegan has done a pretty good job trying to get the message of horse racing out there and trying to get people to visit. Hell, we had the Breeders Crown series here a few years ago. During racing season, they feature live bands, reduced drink prices and try to get a younger crowd to visit. Purses have gone up considerably in the last few years and Pennsylvania has even brought back Smarty Jones to one of their farms. I just hope the money taken away from horse racing doesn't stop horsemen from racing or breeding their horses in Pennsylvania.

re: Chips Are Falling - By Tom LaMarra

asado — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:16:09 GMT

Check out New Mexico, still a model of consistency.