Hang In There

by Ed Meyer

posted on July 7, 2009 in General Discussion | No Comments >>

For many years, gambling has been one of the businesses that is recession proof. With increased competition, and lack of overall support, gambling has been feeling the effects.

The bottom line is that the numbers are down 16%. That is a hefty number. If the players are not playing, the ball starts rolling faster.

If wagering drops you will have:

Purse cuts for horsemen, and they find it harder to make a living.

Dates being cut back from tracks.

Tracks going out of business.

On-track employees losing jobs, or being cut back.

The farms are going to bleed. They have stallions who cannot be bred. Nobody will get in a game that is showing a decline. It is like driving on a flat tire.

So, when you hear all of this, where is the end result? It will not be pretty. The game needs to come together. No time in my memory has there been a needed effort to hold hands rather than fight it out.

We need a national simulcast watchdog. An agency that oversees that tracks are not running on top of each other. I know it is impossible for the small tracks, but keep the big tracks off of each other. Make the call to the track stewards and ask for a minute to adjust. It can be done, and I have been there to see it. Have you ever watched the pools when a horse needs an equipment change?  They grow like a beanstalk…..

Keep the tracks separate by a minute or so… Just watch the pools swell. Oh, they won’t explode, but the bottom line will move. Take my word for it… We need all of the funds racing can get. Now is the time to watch every penny. This storm can be weathered if we pull together.