From the Thoroughbreds, a Less-Is-More Idea Worth Stealing

No different than Coca Cola, Burger King or Wal Mart, harness racing is all about selling a product to consumers, in this case a product that is primarily betting with a dose of sport thrown in. When any product, be it pacers or pancakes, is over-priced and/or of inferior quality the consumer will simply walk away, which is exactly what has happened in the sport of harness racing these last many years.

You’re not going to eat at the restaurant that serves lousy food and charges too much for it. Neither is anyone in their right mind going to seriously wager on a 14-race card on a Thursday afternoon with a 30 percent takeout in the trifecta. That might have worked when horse racing was the only gambling game in town outside of Las Vegas. Now, with so much competition, all of it, except lotteries, sold at a much lower price or takeout, the consumer has little incentive to bet on racing.