More NY racing news which would come as no shocker to residents of the state:
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/p...0359/1002/NEWS
"(December 19, 2007) — ALBANY — While state leaders grapple over a new contract to run three of the state's thoroughbred racetracks, New York's other tracks face their own problem: Some say they need a bigger slice of the profits to survive.
The plea, mainly from smaller, upstate harness tracks, comes as the fate of the state's thoroughbred-racing franchise hangs in the balance and as the state wrestles with lower-than-expected revenue from tracks with video lottery terminals."
Let's take a look at each of these venues demographically to determine why the win per machine has been below expectations. Population within an hour's drive of each facility (all figures approximate), gaming competition, and net win per machine:
Saratoga Raceway: ~1 million, NONE, $234
Finger Lakes Racetrack: ~2 million, (Batavia Downs), $224
Yonkers Raceway: ~15 million, NONE, $209
Batavia Downs: ~2.5 million, (Finger Lakes, Buffalo Raceway), $143
Buffalo Raceway: ~1.5 million, (Batavia Downs, Seneca casinos, Ontario casinos, Fort Erie), $131
Vernon Downs: ~700,000, (Tioga Downs, Turning Stone), ~$125
Tioga Downs: ~300,000, (Vernon Downs, Turning Stone, Monticello), ~$125
Monticello Raceway: ~200,000, (Tioga Downs), $121
It doesn't take a genius to see why some parlors are doing better than others.