Just humor me for a second.

[justindew]

Let's say that 5 or 10 years from now, a large number of racetracks finally land slot machines. Maybe Kentucky finally has them. Maybe Maryland. Maybe they are even finally a fixture at New York tracks, too. Maybe even a bunch of other places.

Then, lets pretend that it becomes the country-wide norm for there to be more money fueling purses from the slot revenue than from actual wagering on the races. In other words, the tracks are making SO MUCH money from the slots that the cash they bring in through the takeout on races adds very little to the purses, much less the bottom line of the track itself.

Now, let's also assume that 5 or 10 years from now, the issues that currently make racing fans and bettors frustrated (like wide-spread drug use in racing, ADW issues, among others) have still not been resolved. If "slots are where it's at", will the powers that be have any incentive to fix some of racings problems? In other words, is it possible that racing will become nothing more than a prerequisite for slots, and a drain on slot revenue?

I hope not.


I'm sure someone reading this knows more about this issue than I do. I look forward to reading your thoughts.