No posts all day Wednesday, no posts Thursday morning — what kind of blog is this that I’m running? Unfortunately, one that’s being neglected as I work to meet a huge April 19 deadline. Until then, posts on the main page may be spotty, although I’ll continue to update Derby Watch daily and I promise that tonight or tomorrow I’ll post some thoughts on Suffolk Downs and also on the recently-published “Six Secrets of Successful Bettors.” In the meantime, may I recommend Left at the Gate for your racing news needs, and Outer Life if you’re looking for fine writing and a pleasant way to lose time reading.
Posted by JC in Miscellany on 04/07/2005 @ 11:00 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
And the rest of its 2005 open stakes program:
“Based on the impact that the harsh winter had on simulcast wagering and our current projections, we feel it’s more prudent to maintain a healthy purse level for our daily schedule than to run these major races this season,” said Suffolk Downs Chief Operating Officer Bob O’Malley.
“Our attitude this year is to do everything we can to ensure that we will be able to race next year, when we would anticipate restoring the stakes program, including the MassCap. An important goal for this year is to pursue legislation that will allow us to enhance purses and improve our ability to compete with other racing jurisdictions.”
Read: Pursue slots legislation. This development is most disappointing. More Thursday.
Posted by JC in Suffolk Downs on 04/05/2005 @ 9:40 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
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 lottery’s executive director, Joseph Sullivan, said he hoped to launch the horse-racing game in November or December and expects it to bring in about $150 million over the course of its first full year.
”This game is going to be an exciting game and be received well in the marketplace,” Sullivan said. ”It’s not Keno Plus. It’s a new game.”
Details of the Daily Race Game launch are still being worked out, but Sullivan said the lottery intends to install video monitors in bars and restaurants that would be dedicated exclusively to the new horse-racing game.
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)
Posted by JC in State Issues on 04/05/2005 @ 8:50 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
