Improving the product

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by whodey17

If you cannot afford the $2 or $3 entrance fee, then you shouldn't be going to the racetrack. Horse racing isn't for the casual fan (with a couple of exceptions). Horse racing is for the person who enjoys gambling. Horse racing gets tons of competition from other sources--NFL, NBA, MLB, and casinos to name a few. In addition, horse racing is quite boring. The person has to enjoy the handicapping aspect and also the beauty of the horses racing. Not too many people have 3 hours before the card starts to handicapp and then another 4 hours watching and waiting for the races. Horse racing needs to speed things up a little. We have a generation of people who are young who expect and want things fast--they do not want to have to wait 30 minutes inbetween races. Also, horse racing has to do something to combat the negative connotation that the races are fixed. The NBA had the ref gambling, MLB had Pete Rose....but neither sport can prove that their actions caused teams to win or lose. When a story of a jock, owner, or trainer cheating then that builds upon the opinion that horse racing is fixed. When the casual fan cashes a ticket, I think he/she feels it was dumb luck and not handicapping skills. This is what I would do increase the take-out.

1) Change the negative image of racing
2) Make the time between races 10 minutes
3) I think racing should be a single owned entity (this will never happen).
4) There needs to be national laws governing racing--not at the state level.
5) Make the racetrack "the place to be" with agreassive marketing.

This is just a start.

Will we have 20 races a day? I understand the concern, but God knows I'm not going to go out to the track as often if I have to get all ready, drive over there to see live racing, spend all my time handicapping etc etc, and then get there, watch the races, and have to turn around and drive home 90 minutes later. No chance.