by Bob Duf

There was a time, before the advent of the internet and the legalization of online sports betting, that harness racing was a trendsetter when it came to betting innovation.

Think about the late 1980s and early 1990s, when simulcasting was taking the sport on a whirlwind ride. Suddenly, there was a virtual smorgasbord of betting opportunities, a veritable all-day menu of racing ready to be handicapped. Off-track betting, telephone wagering and advanced deposit wagering were all on the scene years before anyone would’ve even dreamed of the possibility of the existence of today’s massive sports betting landscape.

That was then. This is now.

Today, it is the online sports betting sites that are setting the trends when it comes to novel methods for placing wagers. The latest innovations include same-game parlays, which is wagering on multiple outcomes taking place during the same event. Another sports betting innovation is live betting. Also known as in-play wagering, with this style of betting, you are putting down bets on outcomes within a game. This can include who scores the next goal in a hockey game, the next touchdown in a football game, or hits the next home run in a baseball game.

Just as horse racing was always seeking methods to add more action to the table for bettors, sports betting sites are also doing what they can to increase wagering opportunities on an event. In a digital age,

when we live with one eye always on the screen of our mobile device, seeking the next distraction or viral moment, it’s more necessary than ever for betting sites to find ways to keep their customers engaged.

HARNESS RACING NEEDS TO TAP INTO THIS ENERGY

Just as the betting sites are constantly seeking ways to remain relevant, horse tracks need to be traveling down this road on a similar journey. A revamping of the way we bet on horse racing isn’t merely long overdue, it might very well be necessary for the survival of the sport.

How can the sport do that? What steps should harness racing take to try and input some of that sports betting energy into wagering on the sport of kings? Let’s look into that. And, as it just so happens, we’ve got some ideas to introduce.

LIVE BETTING ON HARNESS RACING

The purpose of live betting was to keep bettors involved and engaged. Traditional sports betting saw you make a wager on a game and then wait for the outcome. Today, there are countless opportunities to wager on that game through in-play wagering.

There’s no reason why harness racing can’t tap into this energy. Why can’t there be wagers on which horse in a race will win each quarter? You could even set over/under totals for each quarter-mile of a race, for both the overall race and each individual horse.

A horse that likes to leave would be an ideal bet to win the first quarter, but that same horse might not be a factor in the race by the time the field is reaching the finish line.

SAME RACE PARLAYS

Let’s be honest. The sports betting parlay owes its existence to the horse racing trifecta. In reality, these two bets are one in the same. We’ve come up with some methods to incorporate the same-game parlay

mentality into a horse race.

Just as there are restrictions as to what bets you can combine in a same-game parlay, our horse racing version is also going to have specific rules to go with our unique betting opportunities. First of all, along with wagering on horses, you can also make specific bets on drivers and trainers.

Here’s the catch, though. You can only include one of each of the three in a parlay combination. Thus, if you include a horse in your same-race parlay play, you can’t use that horse’s driver or trainer in your ticket. And you can also bet a horse, driver, or trainer to wind up in any finishing position. So instead of just betting on who is going to be in the top three, go ahead and bet a horse to finish seventh in a race.

HORSE RACING FUTURE BOOK WAGERING

Know what else we’re going to do? We’re going to let you bet on driver and trainer win totals for a race card.

For example, let’s say David Miller has 12 mounts on a 14-race card at The Meadowlands. Odds will be set on him to win no races that night, right up to going 12-for-12. You’ll be able to make an exact win total

bet, or play an over/under on a predetermined number of total wins by Miller on the race card.

In sports betting, future book wagering is an extremely popular play for the patient bettor. You can bet on a team to win the Super Bowl in the offseason and get fairly long odds. If that team comes through for you, it will pay out handsomely.

Why not set future book odds on drivers and trainers heading into a race meet? There could be one market on which driver and trainer is going to be the top winner during the meet. At the same time, there

could also be markets for total wins, through which you’d bet on the driver or trainer to go over or under that predetermined number.