Why they slowly turned horse racing into a 450lbs lady with no tattoos or herpes...?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

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

[randallscott35]

Well done Doug...although with politicians holding some of the strings in terms of takeouts I can't see them understanding the issue well enough to save racing in any meaningful way or return it to the pre-1940 period when it was a value...It may need to be a complete collapse of the industry and a reset needed to change the dynamics.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

although with politicians holding some of the strings in terms of takeouts I can't see them understanding the issue well enough

It seems that if the powers that be in racing want something from the politicians - maybe the easiest way to get it is in a package deal with a takeout increase?

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

It seems that if the powers that be in racing want something from the politicians - maybe the easiest way to get it is in a package deal with a takeout increase?

I think we have many years of the subsidy run around and VLTs to deal with before meaningful change.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Look at the last two guys put in charge of NYRA... I belive Barry Schwartz and Hayword.

Just about everything Schwartz said made me think he was a genius - and Hayword came on MSNBC last year and made a shocking amount of sense.

Try as they may have - they couldn't make anything meaningfull happen in that regard.

The powers that be in California are hopelessly retarded. They couldn't have possibly believed even a morsel of what they were selling.

They are playing games with rates at Gulfstream.

In order for HANA to have cred - they needed DRF and TVG to help them out A LOT. DRF has done nothing for HANA - I don't think I've ever even seen HANA so much as mentioned in a DRF column or blog post. TVG has done very little - they've put Maloney and the Platt guy on TV once or twice .. but that's about it. HANA's going to have no luck sparking an Egyptian style revolution for the oppressed horseplayer.

It's a totally hopeless outlook all-around. This sport has no progress at all in its future... what happened at Santa Anita this meet illustrates that crystal clear.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Look at the last two guys put in charge of NYRA... I belive Barry Schwartz and Hayword.

Just about everything Schwartz said made me think he was a genius - and Hayword came on MSNBC last year and made a shocking amount of sense.

Try as they may have - they couldn't make anything meaningfull happen in that regard.

The powers that be in California are hopelessly retarded. They couldn't have possibly believed even a morsel of what they were selling.

They are playing games with rates at Gulfstream.

In order for HANA to have cred - they needed DRF and TVG to help them out A LOT. DRF has done nothing for HANA - I don't think I've ever even seen HANA so much as mentioned in a DRF column or blog post. TVG has done very little - they've put Maloney and the Platt guy on TV once or twice .. but that's about it. HANA's going to have no luck sparking an Egyptian style revolution for the oppressed horseplayer.

It's a totally hopeless outlook all-around. This sport has no progress at all in its future... what happened at Santa Anita this meet illustrates that crystal clear.

Hana needs to make sure the Platt guys stays away from a microphone.

In order for them to be taken seriously, they need to find leadership that CAN be taken seriously. You put someone like Steve in there and things change really quick I bet.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

It doesn't matter who they have - and how artful and persuasive they can be - at the very least - they'll need a ton of help from DRF and TVG. In a head scratching kind of way, Bloodhorse seems to be the entity that has been most willing to help them.

HANA has not been singularly focused enough on the takeout issue. For the future betterment of the sport, it's simply the only issue that even matters at all in my opinion.