Tampa Bay Downs

[Calzone Lord]

Stuff like that is like sucking dick for crack rocks on the train tracks, and fingerfucl<ing someones grandmother because they think she has a dime stashed away in her pus$y.

It's the competition among tracks -- to try and win the dollar of the compulsive degenerate bettor who isn't giving himself a chance.

And I'm sure that you'll get a few dollars extra dollars dancing around Saratoga's post time - just as Tampa tries to dance around Gulfstream and Santa Anita.

However, that isn't going to lead to explosive long-term handle growth. It's not going to lead to better purses. It's not going to lead to repealing the "suckers game" image attached to betting horses, it's not going to add interest in the sport and bring in the money of a lot of useful new faces.

[Travis Stone]

I understand it's about shifting funds within the market, but heck, market share is a big deal in business. At this point, with national handle dwindling (-3% in July I believe), it's hard to blame a track for trying to gain more share.

But no, it's not the Holy Grail for saving the sport.

[Calzone Lord]

Anyone with an IQ above of 'bag of hammers' or 'box of rocks' should be able to see that the Holy Grail is takeout reductions and not screwing up exchange wagering.

The reverse Holy Grail is takeout increases - kicking the can down the road with exchange wagering - and keeping on with doing nothing or next to nothing.


Every study I've ever seen on the impact of takeout in horse racing - strongly endorses lowering takeout. These are done by respectable econimists

And even though all the "smart" studies say the right things about takeout - they fail to look back 100+ years to the betting patterns people displayed when favorable takeout levels existed.

You think Plunger Walton would bet - adjusted for inflation - over a million dollars on a single race if he was playing at a 20% disadvantage? You think Pittsburg Phil ever would have attempted to even bother with horse racing? People came popping out of the woodwork betting eye-popping sums of money. They almost always got involved in horse ownership -- some very heavily so.

The Cummings Report of 2004 mentioned it - but didn't go back to study the old, old, days when Horse Racing was king to see how much of a reality it was: