If Ellis is not successful, I don't think Laurel will be successful. The impact of an 11% takeout, while important, is not nearly as dramatic as a 4% takeout. If horseplayers are not flocking to Ellis's 4% pick-4, they are hardly going to notice Laurel.

Horseplayers who are genuinly interested in the future of the sport from a betting perspective should be playing the Ellis 4% even if they have no interest in that track or those particular horses.

Every $100 you bet at Ellis is a $4 investment in future lower takeout. That's all it will cost you in the long run, even if you throw darts at the PP's.

--Dunbar

I threw darts at the entries last week and thanks to scratches hit it 4 times (for 50 cents) on a $4 ticket.

The response has been tremendous- they have been averaging almost 3X the old pools, not to mention more exposure in the other pools.

Hopefully Laurel gets the same.

I hope they are happy with that 3X, Phil. I find the numbers uninspiring. My $300-$400 bets are 1 to 1.5% of the pool, and I don't even like betting Pick-4s. In fact, I don't think I've ever bet a Pick-4 before this 4% takeout.

There was over $20 million bet on horseracing in the US yesterday. Those bets were all made into pools with 15% to 25% or more takeout. But the one bet which could have a dramatic impact on the future of betting could only attract $36,970 worth of interest. I think some of that other $19.96 million could have been better spent on the 4% Pick-4.

--Dunbar