SUN: Racing's media makeover paying off

[Scav]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

This is very narrow. It is thinking like this that limits the sport. You can't make statements like "99%" of anything based on the limited sampling of people in which you have come in contact. Its a big world out there Scav.

I am bringing a $1000 to the Preakness on Saturday. Yeah, its not break the bank money but it will be enough to play pick 4's, three horse exacta boxes and maybe some tri's in the bigger fields and yes I will keep firing until the last race.

Some of what you say is true. Book club is not exactly packed with horseplayers or girlfriends that would even know how to make a wager. At the same time, I run into plenty of women that are either into the sport in some fashion or would LIKE to be.

I would love some demographic breakdowns on poker, table games or even lotteries. I would bet (more than $2 scav) that the percentage of females in these gambling endeavors is rising. Forget just gaming, look at the way the NFL markets to women. Is it just a coincidence that the meteoric rise of the NFL as the overwhelmingly dominant sport in the US coincided with the way the sport marketed to women? How about Nascar? How about professional poker? Look at what hockey is doing during this renaissance.

Steve said it perfectly. Do you guys really think that the trends of women and minorities as sports fans and gamblers is going to suddenly begin to revert?

Listen, I am not saying that there are not woman out there that don't go nuts at the track. There obviously are.

I don't disagree what Steve has said from the start of this website, if you get people to the track, they will come back because they end up liking it.

But to focus an entire or partial marketing push on 18-30 year old woman is absolutely a waste of money, in an industry that is already being bled dry.

I am of the belief that you have to solidify your account base before you can attract new customers. Horse racing's 'base' is far from solid. They are losing big bettors daily to greener pastures.