rachel

rachel

Friday, January 14, 2011

Boycott Day 1: handle drops 15.2% at Santa Anita

The first official day of the boycott of California thoroughbred racing took place on Thursday, January 13, 2011. As expected steep drops were recorded in the handle figures. The chart of the past three Thursdays of racing reveals a decline of 15.2% in the all-sources handle compared to the previous Thursday.

On January 1, 2011 California's thoroughbred racetracks increased the takeout rates (the amount taken out of the wagering pools) in order to boost the purses 25% for thoroughbred racing conducted in that state. The goal was to attract new horses from out of state and bolster the field size. That has not transpired.

While many bettors have refrained from wagering on the California racing product for a variety of reasons this winter season, Thursday marked the first formal day of the organization Playersboycott.org. This is the press release that marked the start of the California Racing Boycott.

The primary goal of this boycott is to rescind the takeout rates to what they were before January 1, 2001. This restores the mathematical "edge" that proficient bettors had when wagering for profits on the California racing circuit. If there is no edge there is no reason to make a professional wager on any horse race. It is these knowledgeable bettors who are having an impact on the all-sources handle numbers which have decreased by double digits compared to last year's meet.


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On Jan 01, 2011 California Takeout on Exotic Wagers
involving 2 or more betting interests (EXA, DD) Increased by 9.7% to 22.68%

giving California one of the highest exacta takeout rates in North America.


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There are a variety of problems that must be addressed by the leaders of California horse racing. Unfortunately band-aid solutions such as these harm a region that is vital to American thoroughbred racing. Horse racing fans have already suffered through a series of mistakes that began with the installation of synthetics racetracks but it cannot afford to wait another five years by being subjected to prohibitive pricing. It is vital that the horse racing customer speaks out since it is he/she that pays the racetracks' purses, overhead and salaries. Unfortunately recent actions (and words) by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) have upset many lifelong supporters of the California racing industry.

As regular bettor of California racing of more than fifteen years I support this boycott of California thoroughbred racing and will refrain from wagering on California thoroughbred racing for as long as it is required. I ask my fellow handicappers/bettors to honor this boycott by wagering at other racetracks that offer more bang for your buck. By doing so you the horse racing fan will send an important message to those running (or is it ruining?) magnificent Santa Anita Park. It will also impact other racing jurisdictions that wish to cavalierly raise their takeout rates without exploring alternative solutions. I will have more to say about this boycott in a future post. Thank you and please visit again.
Labels: CHRB, Players Boycott, Santa Anita Park, TOC
Posted by The_Knight_Sky at 11:00 PM

1 comment:

Horse for Sale said...

Nice post man, love the topic. We do have same interest. Love horse so much. Keep it up buddy.

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