Balmoral Handle Trending Up

Let's end the week on a happy note. Those takeout cutters and hard-workers at Balmoral had some good news to share today. Enjoy your weekend everyone. Here's the press release:

                                    TWO $20,000 GUARANTEED POOLS ON SATURDAY

                    Chicago, Illinois - December 9,2011 - by Michael Antoniades 

      On the heels of a very strong November, Balmoral Park rolls into the holiday season showing strong gains in handle compared to 2010. The combination of large fields, guaranteed pools, low takeout and monster payoffs has made the Balmoral Park signal extremely attractive.

     There was no stronger barometer than the average wagered per race. Balmoral Park showed double digit gains in November versus the same days in 2010.

                        Race Day       Average handle per race    Gain in 2011 per race     

                                                     2011           2010

                          Saturday         $ 98,645         82,581             $ 16,064          18%

                         Sunday                93,004         78,931                14,073          17%

                        Wednesday         68,489         64,801                  3,688            5%

      On the gambling side, Balmoral started a Sunday $10,000 guaranteed Pick 5 on November13. The average pool has been $26,516 and the average 50 cent payoff is a mind boggling $13,637.34. The Pick Four has a guaranteed pool every night ranging from $15,000 on Wednesdays , $20,000 on Saturdays and $25,000 on Sundays. Through November 30, the average pool was $28,033 on 92 guaranteed Pick 4 pools.

    On Saturday December 10, Balmoral will offer two $20,000 guaranteed pools. The Pick 5 has a carryover of $4,285 and starts on race 2. The Pick 5 has a 50 cent minimum bet. The Pick 4 is on the Final Four races , starting on race 10. The Pick 4 has a 15% takeout and a one dollar minimum.

    I would personally like to thank the USTA and Track Master for their extraordinary help in the Strategic Wagering Initiative. They are a big part in not only the guaranteed pools but interest in the other pools as well. The numbers don’t lie. Chris Schick, the chairman of the USTA Strategic Wagering Initiative , said it all. “Low takeout, guaranteed pools and competitive full fields made the fans respond in a big way. That’s obvious. We are very pleased with the results.”  So are we.

    Free program pages, expert selections and the complete December schedule for the Strategic Wagering program can be found at the USTA’s handicapping page at ustrotting.com.