Quote:
Originally Posted by Duvalier
When you bring up Pittsburgh Phil and all the money he won betting horses, what were the betting options back then? Was it just win betting?
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Win, Place, Show. Prop betting. Some exotics were offered. If you could afford to pay the racetrack the commissions, you could operate as a bookmaker on track grounds.
Pittsburgh Phil wasn't the only one making a whole lot of money betting horses. He was just the most sensational because of his background and level of success.
He gets brought up though, because he grew up poor, working in a factory for a $5 a week salary, and died at age 42 worth $3,250,000 (or over $85 million adjusted for inflation) -- all that money profit from betting thoroughbreds. Along the way, papers like the New York Times made him a celebrity and once, even compared him to J. P. Morgan ... who was sort of the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet of that time.
He was a marketing force for the sport. He was his days answer to "Go Baby Go" and he was his days answer to "have a cocktail, socialize, and watch celebrity athletes bet on horses"
It wasn't like he was the only guy winning. However, because of his background and his level of success, he kept all the dopey marketing people with their stupid ideas away from horse racing.
Poker can at least market people that are household names: like Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, etc. etc. etc.
You know what horse racing should market? It's suits and marketing people. They want to make the sport all about themselves and their ideas of what might spur interest from people like themselves...all while the core customer has a reputation of pure degenerates playing a suckers game that no one can beat.
Seriously, the marketing people and the suits in horse racing are truly the 8th wonder of the world.