Racing is getting rope-a-doped right now, but I fear the outcome may be different.
In the last several months:
- Pennsylvania has cut some slots funding and purses are trending lower
- Zynga Games (i.e. "Farmville") announces they want to get into gambling
- Ontario is looking to siphon off many millions from slots funding
- Canada is looking to legalize one game sports betting
For healthy industry's these shocks can be withstood, via pivoting and changing a model. Racing has not been very healthy, stating the obvious, so one has to wonder how much more of this we can take.
Note: Harness Fans, there is a huge carryover and $100k guaranteed pick 4 pool at Balmoral tomorrow evening.
3 comments:
The last big carryover at Balmoral seemed to bring the intent of some of the drivers and trainers into question as well as yield some giant, unfindable long shots. Not sure I trust'em enough to dive in.
After rereading this, I sound like the ultimate conspiracy theorist! But here is my explanation ( excuse? lol )
I don't care for the racing in Chicago. I see more questionable drives and head scratching on track performances by the horses than any other circuit. Seems like intent plays more a part here than any place else.
I did look at the carryover on or around 2/22 but stayed out because of my disdain for the racing. I paid attention to the races though and sure enough, I would have needed a shovel, hatchet and flashlight to find some of the horses that won that night.
Degeneration X was off a month and wins and I believe another winner or two were also off long layoffs.
A few days later, after browsing the web, I found a real interesting tid bit that made me scratch my head ( not on a real reputable forum but ... ). Degeneration X has two wins in two years, both have come on nights when Balmoral has huge carryovers and both have keyed giant winning tickets. Coincidence? Maybe, but when it comes to Chicago, I'll keep my tin foil hat handy!
I would argue that what is transpiring in the racing industry in North America was far more predictable than Ali's tactic, though the analogy still holds to a degree.
If racetracks (predictably) treat their temporary windfalls in the manner that one would expect of a typical lottery winner, rather than using a good portion of it to address fundamental flaws and rejuvenate the game, then the industry is likely to end up in a very sad state, as has Ali, coincidentally.
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