In NY, they raised the takeout from 10% to 15% after the 1945 racing season.
The committe report from mid 1949 goes on about how the betting handle had since suffered badly ... but nothing is said about how unhealthy it was for the long term of the sport.
In 1945 approximately $40 million in $100 tickets were sold in NY. In 1948 approximately $15 million were sold.
In 1945 $114 million in $50 bets were sold. In 1948 just $72 million were sold.
The amount of $2 bets sold in 1945 was only $20 million higher than in 1948.
The conclusion of the above data is that most of the big bettors who bought the $50 and $100 tickets - because of the takeout hike - were now betting with bookies instead of buying tickets. While the $2 bettors - though betting less - weren't off as extreme. So in other words, try and crack down on the bookies - they're stealing all the big bettors
