Lottery Bets on Horses
Virtual horses, not live horses. Is the Massachusetts State Lottery trying to off Suffolk Downs? As a beleaguered New England racing fan, it’s hard not to think the most dire thoughts when confronted by news like this:
The Boston Globe reports that the racing game will operate much like other Keno, with a race playing every four minutes. Players will be able to bet win, place, or show (and possibly bet combinations), and that minimum bets will likely be $1 or $2.
The hysterical reaction: Ohmigod!
The more considered reaction: Suffolk is running out of time. Modest gains in attendance and handle at the end of the last year’s meet weren’t enough to keep the development vultures from circling this winter. Slots legislation appears stalled, even as New Hampshire moves ahead, with a vote on slots in our northern neighbor scheduled for April 7. It’s even possible to read this move by the state lottery as an indication of how unlikely slots are in Massachusetts — the lottery commission was, after all, angling to manage the state’s racinos, should they ever be created. That the lottery has gone ahead and developed a racing game that it expects to bring in $150 million a year could be a sign that lottery powers consider slots dead. And that means live thoroughbred racing at Suffolk might be facing its last year.
Related: “A state Lottery official and the chairman of the State Racing Commission say a new ‘virtual horse racing’ game will not draw fans away from live horse racing or simulcast races. ‘It might well attract greater interest in horse racing in Massachusetts,’ said Joseph Betro, state racing chairman.” (The Enterprise)
