2014 admission hikes for Belmont, Saratoga: GA $5, Clubhouse $8
 

Readers, you have read that headline correctly. This price increase impacts both the Belmont and Saratoga racing seasons. The rationale for this increase is NYRA's drive to hit $250,000 of profit independent of racino revenues.

In European venues, high admission prices are the norm - they include a racing card and perhaps a drink. However, that element of customer service is not in the cards here.

Truth be told, I love Belmont. I lost Roosevelt, Parr/Suffolk Meadows in my lifetime ... and will not stop supporting Belmont ... but I have clearly lost the plot on what it means to get people to the track.

So are bookmakers and exchange wagering.

What would it cost you to go to a Yankee game? Or even a Met game?

Not really a fair comparison because you don't go to a baseball game to gamble. A better comparison might be what does it cost to go to a casino?

It is absolutely a fair comparison as all sports are competing for similar dollars. You can't park at Yankee Stadium for less than it costs to park at Belmont and bring 4 people into the house. It is still a great value vis a vis other sports.

On track attendance is not that important. Handle is much more important. If people are complaining about raising the price of admission into one of the most beautiful sporting venues in the Country by two bucks, I will go out on a limb and say the loss of their wagering dollars is insignificant.

Not really. You aren't getting a live sporting event at the casino.

The bigger issue is what kind of increase are they asking for the signal though I guarantee that the increase in admission prices will likely get a lot of negative press upstate.

Not exactly. Horse racing is a gambling game and always has been. Baseball isn't. This is a much larger discussion but I'm not so sure horse racing can afford to say a loss of any wagering dollars is insignificant.

Don't get me wrong, I'd still go to the track if they doubled admission, but I'm sure some are going to be turned off by this. Is it really worth turning people off for an extra $3? I don't think so.

it's hard to quantify how many people are going to find an extra $3 enough to stop them from going to the track but i'll try.

three. and all of them only goes on days they give something away.

I agree that it is a much larger discussion. I get the argument that with attendance already down, raising admission rates has the ultimate effect of causing a certain percentage to spend their dollar elsewhere, thereby decreasing attendance.

However, if I am not mistaken, Roosevelt Raceway was charging $2 admission 40 years ago and probably longer. Also, if I am not mistaken, current admission is $3. Regardless, $2 or $3, for inflation alone $5 is not unreasonable.

I just can't see that losing a few people who are not willing to spend an extra couple of bucks that are probably putting a negligible amount through the windows is a real problem. Most of them will probably bet off-track anyway.

What is more disconcerting is Cuomo's attempts to cast off the franchise while ripping it off in a way to spin it in his direction.

I would like to meet the person who goes to a race track just to watch horses run around in circles without betting a simple dime. A racetrack is competing with casinos and not Yankee Stadium. I can go to a casino and bet my first dollar I take out of my wallet on a bet of my choice. At a race track; after parking, admission, programs and a seat where I can actually see the race, I may be down 20 bucks or more before I make my first bet.

So here are my options:
1) Bet online
2) Go to a Casino
3) Go to a race track and pay a premium and enjoy the "great ambiance"

Which one is more appealing to any bettor?

If an extra $2 for the entertainment is the difference between you going to the track or taking on the intellectual challenge of a one-armed bandit, then you should go slinging on that bandit. Don't go big, a nickel at a time, you might last 20 minutes or so. The loss will not hurt the sport much and probably help it in the long run.

The tracks should give everything for free and hope they come, an ideal model.

They should let everyone come in for free.

All the money saved on admission will go into the pools anyway, and then the bettor can only blame himself for losing money, while the racetrack earns the same amount.

You have only accounted for one day and one person. Multiply it by many days and many more people and that there is your loss. Probably wont hurt the sport much and probably help it in the long run, right?:zz:

They do a lot of things wrong, but...

Presque Isle Downs always offers free admission for live racing -- and they have a day where they offer $1 Smith Hot Dogs and Free Soft Drinks (Coca-Cola products)

This really helps getting bodies to come out...and it's quite the hit with single mothers...who enjoy bringing their kids to the track. A single mom and her 3 kids can enjoy a night of live racing entertainment, dinner, and drinks for a grand total of $4

On Masters Day, they usually give away free T-shirts on top of cheap food and free soft drinks.

It's decent quality every-day racing because of purses, and you get some good Stakes action from time to time. Wise Dan won the PI Mile, here. The last five Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winners have all competed in the Masters. Groupie Doll winning it the last two years.

I think admission prices and high food prices will eventually do more long-term harm than good, for a track. If you're going to raise admission prices ... at least give home-track betting vouchers for the difference. That way, the only people really paying for the admission spike are the single mothers and their little ones they drag along with them.

If they could somehow incorporate program/admission for $10. I feel like that would make sense. Not everyone would buy a program, so you kinda force those peoples hands. I cant remember the last time I bought the track issue one, but it cant be more then $4 right?

Who would go to a Mets game?

Its not a fair comparison at all. Your way to smart to say it is. You go to the track for very few reasons. Main reason being to wager. Big part of Saratoga is drunk kids and partying. Or your tagging along w/ people who are doing one of those two things. That’s really it. Attendance and daily handle dropped slightly in 2013, and the weather was almost perfect. So how can you justify raising prices? As it is now, people love wagering from home. Its just more comfortable. I live 30min away from Saratoga, I work 5min away from the track. I went up twice this year. I intended on going up 5 or 6 times. Every other time I went to the racino. Air conditioned, a nice table. More comfortable environment.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...ndance-decline

The soft drinks and admission are always free.

The $1 hot dogs are one day a week during live racing.

The free t-shirt giveaways for showing up are 3 or 4 times a year. One of them actually looked very sharp...it had a picture of Informed Decision getting up to nail that years champion female sprinter Dubai Majesty on the wire.

With all the pressure that NYRA seems to be under from the state to make racing operations at least a break even proposition, it is looking for "revenue" anywhere it can find it. Unfortunately, seeing how NYRA makes more money from an on-track dollar wagered than an off-track dollar wagered, anything that discourages patrons from wagering on track is counter-productive.

I would like prop bets and head to head wagering specifically

I agree. While in the long run, paying the extra $2 might end up being negligible,
it definitely creates a negative perception, that of NYRA trying to bilk their already regular customers for more $ without offering anything extra in return. And I agree with the statement that the extra $2 would be spent anyway in some form, be it wagering or food/drink.

Finally, many people don't simply go to Saratoga for one day, they vacation there for a week, or even a month. So that extra admission money does add up.

last time i went to arlington, admission was $7. that was probably 6 years ago, so i don't find $5 to be cause for alarm.
they could raise it much, much higher, and i'd still go there before i ever went to a casino.

Last year Arlington started charging $2 for kids to get in. Reg admission is $8, more on premium days ($20 on Million Day being the highest)

This is the fallacy we often hear. Let's try running races without gambling and see how many people show up.

I'm compairing it to other entertainment options. It has live entertainment and it charges a minimal entrance fee for it. Nightclubs with DJ's or bands charge a cover for entertainment while your local bar with no entertainment probably doesn't.

I think they are trying to draw a younger hipper more affluent crowd to the races. They know this not going to happen at Aquduct in the winter but might work at Belmont in the spring or fall. To do this they are trying to price out some of the undesirables, stoopers, unwashed people etc.... I know this is a stereotype but when I try to bring new people to the races this is often the first thing I hear.

I've heard a lot of excuses for raising prices, but there is no way I'm buying that it is to keep out undesirables.

I guess this is where the split is. For some, it is entertainment, for others it is gambling. I love racing, but take away the gambling, and I'd most likely never go again.

I agree, and probably would never go again if it weren't for the gambling. I guess I just don't mind paying a few dollars for the live product.

NYRA offers a premium product. You raise prices for premium products. Saratoga's Clubhouse admission price was lower than that of every other major racetrack in the country that charges. It was time for an increase.

I think you bring up an excellent point. Let's say you and your wife have 200.00 of discretionary income. If you go to Resort World all 200.00 is in play and its likely you grab a discounted buffet a long the way.

At the track 10% of your play allotted cash is raked for the opportunity to wager. Where would you rather play?

the track. or bet online.

i loathe casinos

It was only time for an increase IF the delta between handle rake and addtional earned admission is positive. Who did the analysis or was it "just time to increase it"?

Only in racing do prices go up when business is down.

Business is not down in NY for the year. Handle is up. Handle was down at Saratoga by a fractional margin.

I understand you're completely against the price increase. However, if you grant that a price has to be charged, the new price is quite fair based on the market.

Business is down as far as attendance goes, and that is what this price increase impacts. I guess we'll see how people respond. I think on track attendance and handle will decline. The customers will determine if the price is fair. On track handle is better than off track handle for NYRA.

Customers don't care about political maneuvering between the state and NYRA. All they know is they are going to be asked to pay more while slots money is rolling in. Think about that.

But why is attendance down?
Is it a matter of the economy and people just not having extra money to spend/gamble?

Is it a matter of the sports older clientele dying off and arent being replaced by younger fans?

Is it that people are just fed up trying to beat a game that's borderline impossible?

It's a shame that the people that will be punished the most are the track rats that are there day in and day out. If they could somehow come up with some special promotion for these people (such as a free monthly grandstand pass that you sign up for once a month {they do it at Monmouth}), then I really think that the effect from the increase will be minimal at best.

I just can't see the person/family who enjoys a day at the track, that goes once/a couple of times a month balking about a couple of dollar increase. Especially with these people living in an area where the cost of living is already high and everything (tolls, buses, trains etc) seem to go up on a quartly basis. I understand the sports/gambling argument, but compared to the ridiculous amount of sports tickets around here (mostly Yankees & anything at MSG), the track prices seem like a relative bargin.

As long as this is a one time increase for the considerable future, I don't see it be that big a deal.

Well said, gentlemen.

The spinners on give-away days at the Spa are going to be bummed...they don't contribute much to the handle but they sure enhance the attendance figs.

Outside of professional sports perhaps