The Gambling Little Things

After being immersed in the gambling world for too long to mention, the differences between what goes on with the private companies who try and earn your business versus North American racing never ceases to amaze me.

I like to scan for carryovers now and again. If work is a little slow during the week or I am sitting around in the evening and have a bit of time to handicap, I figure why not look for an edge and invest a few dollars.

Today, DeRosa posted there's a pick 5 carryover at Fort Erie, so I decide to have a look. Carryovers are value, attract money, and are some of the best things this sport offers gamblers. In fact, it's one of the very few edges this sport has in the gambling world. 

I log into the Canadian ADW to research and I see this:

That tells me just about nothing.

I don't know what race the carryover starts on, if it's a jackpot or not. It's relatively meaningless to me.

Since DeRosa is not an idiot, I kind of figure he's not betting into a jackpot with two grand in it, so I guess it's a real carryover. I decide to look at the race summary and conditions to see what race the Pick 5 starts on.

Great. Does Fort Erie even offer wagering? I suppose so, but I can't tell.

This seems futile, so I decide to go to Equibase.

At least I know it's a real carryover, not a stick-my-money-in-a-pail-and-light-it-on-fire jackpot bet. And I can "Buy Products". Hey, this is progress.

I'm unsure, sometimes, if any who bets, or who wants to attract betting dollars from gamblers looking for edges, even works in racing.

How difficult is this?

There's my bet or don't bet matrix. I could handicap and input my wagers for a half dozen carryovers if I had that. 

I totally get racing has monopolistic tendencies. I get that Ascot is on today and people (me included) want to watch good horses race in a nice setting. But why is it so damn difficult for a gambling game to sell itself as a gambling game? Why is it so hard to at least offer customers - customers who want and demand value, or newer people who understand value in gambling - what they need to patronize the sport?

Racing should take a lesson from Pinnacle, or others. They work daily to give gambling customers what they need in a timely and detailed fashion that allows them to give them their money. This isn't rocket science. 

Have a nice Tuesday everyone.