Support grows for Belmont slot machines

[MaTH716]

[quote=ShadowRoll]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

[b][i]
I believe that there is very little cross-over from slots players to horse players. For the most part, the type of people that enjoy pulling a handle (or pushing a button, nowadays) aren't the type of people who enjoy learning how to read and then interpreting the DRF.

But I'm not concerned about how many people might happen to look out the window of the slots parlor and notice that there's a race track outside (and then be intrigued enough to do something about it). I think this number is too low to make much of a difference. What I'm really concerened about is the track management, who see unbelieveable profit from the slots (at least for the moment, until everyone gets them and the competition causes profits to level off), and then see a sickly racing product that is marginally profitable at best. Without someone demanding that the racing aspect of the track not be forgotten, it will be the natural inclination to lessen, not increase, promotion of racing since the promotion money is better spent on the more successful product (i.e. slots). Money should be spent to get people to come to the race track for the express purpose of playing the races. It's simply too risky for the future of racing to hope that people who are there for the purpose of playing the slot machines might also try a bet on a horse race.

I used to work at an independent book store that was an icon in the town where I grew up. A new owner came in and saw that the office supply business and the gift business were far more profitable in terms of mark-up. Eventually, he phased out the books entirely (even though the word "bookstore" was part of the store's name). Finally, the store closed, and this icon, which was doing business in my home town years before I was born, was gone forever. By then, of course, it didn't matter -- the only thing that was interesting to me was the books, anyway.

Horse racing may not be a secondary interest at the tracks with slots at this point in time, but it could become so in the future, unless the slots money is reinvested into revitalizing an interest in the sport. Increased purses are all well and good, but it's the public who need to be wooed, not just the owners and trainers. Fat purses at the expense of increasing the allure of the racing product is a short-sighted road to disaster. It doesn't work to feed a select few while letting the masses starve. Unless your attitude is "let them eat cake."

A main problem (that has been knocked around countless times on this site) is getting more people involved in racing and then getting them to the track. It just seems that there is no new young blood that is interested in the sport. So if you added slots, one of your problems about getting people to the track might be solved. Then you could cross promote the two things. Such as make sure you have restauraunts in the track where you could offer comps for the slot players. Give them a taste of horse racing, offer them free seminars on how to read the form and give them free copies. You are not going to lose the die hard horse players to the slots, but you have to try to take advantage of the slot players that are at the venue and might be able to be swayed to enjoy racing. I remember not knowing how to play craps, and then I was in Atlantic City one night and there was a teaching type of table that explained the in's and outs. Sure enough that night I ended up at a crap table. Even if I didn't play that night, I had that knowledge for future experiences.
As far as promotions go, they barely promote it now and there are no slots. They are going to promote the slots and they should, because that's where the infusion of money is going to come from. Would you spend millions of dollars on a buisness venture and then not promote it? It would be bad buisness. The key would be cross promotion. I understand what you are saying how it is going to be promoted that instead of them having slots at the race track it will be promoted like the slot parlor has horses. For the horse players the horses will be first, for the slot people the vice-versa.
I want to believe that the horse racing industry has too much vested and is profitable enough that they just wouldn't close up shop one day.