Obviously 17K is not 60K, but that is still a heck of a crowd for a track not named Saratoga or Del Mar.

maybe it should be ABC OTB ?
 

I would say a good portion of "serious bettors" are now watching from home, because they want to have up to the minute access to the pools that computer betting allows. These players do watch the TV feed when they happen to be on, because they are superior to the little grainy feeds you get from an ADW.

I am also going to take the side that those viewers looking to be entertained need to be drawn into the pools.


it could be interesting to see a major race broadcast as primarily a gambling event(complete with instant approval credit card deposit, network call-a-bet and online ADW), rather than as if this is a sport that isn't created for gambling.
Give them an incentive... Give everybody who signs up a free $2 bet on the big race...


That is how i could picture a weekly prime time racing broadcast really increasing pool size and growing the sport, however it would be difficult to buck the trend and do it with a major race.

Of course they would still show a beautiful view of the sport, but rather than watching a cowboy limp around or hearing about how Kent Desormeaux found The Lord (or whatever human interest stories they showed) you would have Steve Crist talking about the exacta pool probables and Andy Serling explaining pre race, why Mine That Bird was vulnerable(like he did when he put the belmont website on his back and carried it, in spite of their awkward amatuer video section)...

It could be a total failure and highly unpopular:D and it could also result in record pool size.

I think the format would work better with average everyday races to start , rather than mess with tradition.

Interesting ideas Chess Master. I can only guess how many people actually watched the race on ABC in the US....15-20 million? Of that number, probably only a couple million actually wagered.

Your credit card idea would never fly. I like the concept though. The one problem with credit cards is that none of the companies would allow it....and for good reason. They don't want someone with a 20K limit, a computer, and a gambling Jones betting with money they don't have. I had to fax a voided check with my signature, as I am sure everyone else did, to open my online account. It makes sense since you are funding an account with money you already have.