Having slots here at the FG and now the new slot facility have a little experience with this.
At the FG you don't have to even enter the slot area to get into the racing area, frankly I forget it's even there. It doesn't affect the horse people's area at all. But I tell you this it's busy.
However we have long had gambling down here first with Mississippi and then Louisiana, so it's really nothing new just more available. And the OTB's have a seperate slot facility away from the horse racing area so it really doesn't affect you if you don't want to mingle with the slot people.
I do see more men with their wives or girlfriends, sometimes vice versa, he comes to play the ponies and she can spend the day at the slots and they go back and forth. I have seen an increase in attendance and I see alot more new people, i guess they are coming over from the slots playing the horses. The FG doens't charge admission and parking is free.
As far as what Math said, at the FG, can't vouch for anywhere else, in the slot facility at the FG you can bet the horses, they have the live feeds running everywhere and betting machines and for multiple tracks. Most of the slot machines have a horsey/jockey theme,it's kinda cute.
It's a tricky thing though adding slots, I am a proponent if it is done right. But the horsemen really have to work with the legislation. All slot monies go back into horseracing here, it has increased the purses, it keeps the facilities with full time employment for some, has increased racing days and hopefully, it's still new, has supplemented the LA bred breeding program with incentives.
I don't think it's the end all to racings problems but it is definitely a boost.
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