HEGARTY: November handle down 9.7%

[Suffolk Shippers]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

What exactly should the horseman do then? Accept a bad deal? Complaining about something is easy but actually coming up with an answer that is practical considering the circumstances is tough. Complain about the horseman all you want but the tracks (CDI especially) are the ones that dont want to make a fair deal, hiding behind the untruth that their ADW's would be unprofitable under the horsemans plan and that the horseman are to blame. Horseman simply want a similar cut of an ADW bet that they get from other types of bets. The tracks want to keep a greater %. You are the direct customer of the track. Bitch at them to make the deal.

I'm pretty sure I said I think the horseman don't care who can bet what and where. They shouldn't. That's not their concern. But it eventually will become their concern if things stay stagnant. It will become the track's concern, bettors, etc...

I'm not trying to come off as anti-horseman, I don't buy into the notion that the tracks are in the right. The tracks and their "sky is falling if we accept the horseman's plan" is laughable.

But that doesn't excuse the parties as a whole from blame in the exclusionary tactics that affect the consumer. It doesn't matter who is at fault, because everyone's fingerprints are on the mess. If I could blame the liberals on this one, I would, but for once they are not responsible.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

I'm pretty sure I said I think the horseman don't care who can bet what and where. They shouldn't. That's not their concern. But it eventually will become their concern if things stay stagnant. It will become the track's concern, bettors, etc...

I'm not trying to come off as anti-horseman, I don't buy into the notion that the tracks are in the right. The tracks and their "sky is falling if we accept the horseman's plan" is laughable.

But that doesn't excuse the parties as a whole from blame in the exclusionary tactics that affect the consumer. It doesn't matter who is at fault, because everyone's fingerprints are on the mess. If I could blame the liberals on this one, I would, but for once they are not responsible.

Many horseman are very aware of the bettors complaints as many are major players themselves and all the players in the industry are partly to blame for the current mess. However the horseman are looking at the only growth area in wagering (ADWs) and seeing the tracks attempt to capitalize on that growth to the detriment of the horseman. If CDI in particular refuses to come to the table and allows its players to continue to be shutout from they are the ones who should bear the brunt of the players unhappiness. The horseman are eager for a deal and have been since day one but CDI believes it can intimidate, sue and slash purses in order to get the unfair deal that it wants. Remember that the horseman have taken major cuts in purses at CD and Calder so the dispute is causing them to lose money at the worst possible time. However the disgraceful tactics of CDI have caused the KY horseman especially to further band together and refuse to take another bad deal. There were empty stalls at CD and CDT this fall which is a bad sign for CDI who many in the state believe are the major holdup in KY getting a slots deal.