Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
Germane fact in losing a regional facility like SUF is absence of an outlet to introduce potential sport participants to live racing. This reality is seemingly lost on the myopic 'good riddance' crowd.
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A good, well run, off-track betting parlor is a much better outlet for developing a horse racing fan ...than a live-racing scene that showcases a terrible product. What's more, give that live-racing scene slots...and they'll showcase slots, instead of their bad racing product.
But hey, when people think of Off-Track horse betting...they generally think of New York State.
The off-track wagering parlors in New York State (or OTB's) are absolute sh!t-holes. I've never been in a New York State OTB that wasn't a complete disaster. What's more...they would rip you off on payouts.
The mentality of New Yorkers "the smart people and good handicappers go to the track" seems silly...but if you've ever been inside a New York State OTB, you'd understand that train of thought.
The old OTB in Erie looked like a University campus, compared to the OTB's in New York. They had 5 large comfortable rooms. Hundreds and hundreds of TV's. Two restaurants, a bar, and a concession stand. Hand the people in the back a VCR tape, and they'd tape a track feed for you, to anyone of about 30 different tracks throughout the country.
Even in the Mid 90's, you could bet on about 30 different tracks a day. Go to garbage pits in New York, and you'd have NYRA, but only get bits and pieces beyond that.
When I'd walk into our old OTB parlor, I'd walk into an environment where people cared about betting on horse racing. It was the only reason they showed up. I miss that.
I walk into PID and I'm immediately harassed by a security guard. Forced to identify myself. Once I do, a band is placed on my wrist. Occasionally, you'll get a security guard who is going for "Employee of the Month" who insists on searching my laptop bag, looking for a bomb. If you take off your bracelet, you get harassed. And when you take off your bracelet, it pulls off the hair on your wrist.
It's an impossible place to like if you're a simulcast horse player.