LOCALS WHO BET THE PONIES.....

The new expansion project at The SouthPoint is almost all finished and it is close to perfection.....

To separate the sports and race books is brilliant; the new area is very well lit..no need for those little lamps to read the Racing Form, still close to those 75 cents Vienna hotdogs, real nice bar being finished.

...was reading the new Gaming Today and found out that the SouthPoint has a Director of the sportsbook and ALSO a director of the racebook....totally unique, and a great idea. They also, for those with hotel rooms here, provide the TV feed for all the tracks direct to the rooms and also provide a phone betting account for their guests who want to watch and bet from their rooms.

Considering that the racebook is all profit, I cannot understand why the Strip hotel/casinos don't try to emphasize racing the way that the locals do. This new expansion will proove to be money well spent for Michael Gaughan.

Agreed 

good stuff.   I have always said they should separate it.   Sports people can't stand race people, and race people can't stand sports people.    better for everyone.   

Vegas G not all race bets are profitable to the book. I f a bet is made into a negative pool say a $10,000 show bet on Zenyatta the payoff would be $500 and the track would pay $250 and the site of the bet(book) would pay the other $250. That is why I've had vegas books refuse my bet. What I under stand is some racebooks have installed self-bet machines, is this true? GL

666....

Not quite certain about what you are saying....

When a racebook signs a contract with a track(s)...like Magna....they take 15-18% of every dollar bet and forward the remainder to the track, thru the Hub. Most tracks take up to 26% out of every bet (exotics mainly) and put the remainder in the mutuel pool to be divided among the winners.

My point was....The racebooks are working with track money and, unlike the sportsbook, have no vested interest in the bet at all. I am not certain why a racebook would refuse your bet...they are simply acting as the "agent" for the racetrack. The Zenyatta race did have a $1M minus show pool...but all bets here were taken and the payoff was $2.10.

Vegas G  When any "agent" of the track accepts a bet that results in a negative pool there is not enough .10 to pay the winner of that $2. So the track is responsable for .05 and the agent is  responsable for .05.Thats OTB, simucast other tracks or racebooks. There was a time when Vegas racebooks booked their own action.Wiether racebooks booked it or passed it on they refused my bets regularly unless I would put "something on top" putting some of the bet on Win.Thus my question do racebooks have self-bet machines ? I live in NY now and I get bullshit from NY OTB and racetrack simucast. GL

666...

Yes, there was a time when books handled racing as a non para-mutuel wager....when they did not have a signed deal with the tracks. Last year, there was a short period that it happened here with the Magna company...Gulfstream, Churchill, and others.

As to OTB...I go back to the early days with them in NYC....had one of the original phone accounts...hung with Harvey Pack....Their failure is part government oversight and a management that should never have been involved in the business; but was "juiced in" because of who someone knew..and not because they knew how to run this kind of operation.

Maybe you should move out here.....  

Vegas G... I look for your updates on vegas because not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN. I'm afriad I'll only be able to bet through self bet machines because I'm not opposed to put 10,000 on Zenyatta to show in a 6 horse field. Whats the tallest bridge in the vally?                   gl