Why Focus on the Sport and it’s Athletes?

When we launched ThisIsHarnessRacing.com, the one statement I knew would attract more criticism than any other was this one:

As expected, we immediately started receiving some negative responses, many filled with anger. These comments mostly came from handicappers. It is these horse players I want to address in this article. I want to tell you a story that I believe we can pull something valuable from.

A number of years ago I moved to Florida to play poker. I would play in the same room for 8 to 12 hours a day. The game was $2/$5 no limit hold’em, and I was able to make a very good profit.

Was I able to make money because of my skill level and dedication? Not really, sort of I guess. But there is a lot more to it than that. This isn’t a story about my poker career however; it’s a story about poker rooms. Truth be told, I’ve been a losing poker player over my lifetime in online poker, and the only sustained profitable period of play came during my time in Florida.

So what was the reason for my success when compared to playing elsewhere? The competition. Online poker allows the best players in the world to gather and play at the same tables. In Florida you had to be in the room to play. And the people in that room happened to be mostly vacationers and retirees. Their reason for playing was to have fun, while mine was to make money. This was not good for their chances of winning.

That poker room in Florida took a higher rake than the online poker rooms, and also had the cost of tipping dealers. But I was more than happy to pay it because of the most valuable thing they provided me with: easy money. The atmosphere and location brought in a steady flow of people who were happy to play poker for a few hours, and leave the table without any chips.

I have one rule in poker which I hold above all others- don’t tap the glass, it bothers the fish. I will never argue with a low-skill poker player, even if they take my money. It’s just not good business. You want these people happy and coming back. As a winning player, you need the poker room above all else to keep the easy money coming in. Cater to these people, tailor the experience to them, bring in live music, heck even bring in food trucks for all I care as long as the easy money comes with it. Do I want loud music while I’m playing? No. But I want the money, and that is more important.

Ok, but what does poker have to do with horse racing? It is my belief that the best thing tracks can do for handicappers is counterintuitive; they need to focus on non-gamblers.

Now, don’t lose me here, I’m not saying that I don’t want lower takeouts. There are countless obvious improvements that can be made in this area. Just looking within the track’s own buildings we can look to the slot machines for an example. They have a legal minimum payout of 85% in Ontario. And there is a good reason for this; it keeps people coming back. They make people feel like they can win. At a lower payout rate they would ultimately be less effective.

Back to poker for a moment, there is a reason hold’em has caught on at a level 7 card stud never did- the average person feels like they have a chance to win, even against far more skilled competition. In fact people are often so delusional that they think they are the most skilled person in the game when they are actually the worst. This is the beauty of hold’em.

So how do tracks help handicappers?

• Bring in new people.
• Let them have a great time.

There is one thing I can guarantee; if you fill a stadium with fans to watch any sport, even e-sports, people will bet on it. Horse racing is in the unique position of being able to take that business, whereas other sports leave this revenue for others. So when people do want to bet, introduce them to a bet where they don’t feel overmatched and under-informed. Make them feel like they can win. But the first battle is getting them to fall in love with the sport.

There is a bigger picture, which I will discuss next time, but I first wanted to defend the position that focusing on the sport is not an attack on horse players. In fact it will benefit them. The bigger picture is that harness racing is an incredible sport, and I believe that if we do a good job of introducing it to a new generation they will love it like I do.

I believe the story of Harness Racing in 2017 has the potential to mirror parts of the UFC’s story in 2001. A struggling sport that was on the fringes, controversial to some and unknown to many. Purchased out of near bankruptcy for $2 million, it is now worth upwards of $4 billion. Why? People fell in love with the sport.

More on this next time. And if you haven’t already, check out ThisIsHarnessRacing.com.