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Originally Posted by Gander
Thanks for reading it. If they (Skidmore students) werent the perfect demographic to go after, do you think NYRA would put forth the effort?
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I really wish I hadn't. I'm not sure how you formed it (well, I have an idea), but I can assure you that the picture you have of Skidmore students is pretty far off the mark.
Anyways. . . There's no denying that horse racing needs to attract younger fans, but Saratoga College Day will inevitably and ultimately prove ineffective and worthless (as if NYRA will have a way of measuring) because it is yet another demonstration of the industry's fatal flaw: its unwillingness to showcase the only element of racing that actually matters to the bottom line - the betting. It's fine to lure college kids in with drink specials and ipod nanos, but what's going to bring them back when the party stops? Maybe they should give away vouchers or have some sort of beginner handicapping contest or seminar with Andy in addition to the karaoke and balloon animals. If the goal is to bring in younger fans and subsequently increase handle and ensure future handle when all you old folks are gone, then why can't we just admit that? It's not like the event is going to hurt anyone, and I'm sure it'll bring in a little temporary money for NYRA and provide some eye candy for Scav, but in the end it'll be just another misguided attempt to reach a group that those in charge don't really understand.
The Gazette piece, which could be detrimental, is so far off base and surprising that I wonder if the same idiot politicians who were behind the UIGEA, have blocked slots in KY, etc... tied up Heller and Cusano and wrote this themselves. I thought we as a society (particularly in the Northeast) were moving out of the anti-gambling dark ages, but this is a step back.