Tampa Bay Downs hasn't been a secret for awhile, but the fervor over the quality of the wagering product has reached a fevered pitch this season.
Seemingly everyone loves Tampa Bay Downs, leading me to call it the Pabst of racetracks: It's cheap but markets itself well. It's family run (not that Pabst still is, but the aura is there) versus controlled by a corporation. The success of Tampa Bay is a feel-good story.
I won't rehash everything great about the track, so here's a survey: Andy Beyer, purse increase, and higher handle.
What I will highlight is that through Thursday, handle on pick four wagers at the current 2010-2011 Tampa Bay Downs is up 31% versus handle on the wager during the 2009-2010 season.
Why is that? Well, decreasing takeout on the bet from 19% to 18% surely didn't hurt.
I've often said that not enough horseplayers pay attention to takeout, but with handle down so dramatically in California following a takeout increase on pick four (and other exotic wagers), it is refreshing to see a track that advertised a takeout decrease reversing those trends.
"There are positive vibes generated when you do fan friendly things like reduce takeout," Tampa Bay Downs General Manager Peter Berube said.
Admittedly, I've played less of Tampa Bay Downs this year than in previous years because of the new gimmicks at Gulfstream and TwinSpires.com-related promotions on other tracks such as 0% takeout on pick 3s at Sam Houston, but I am very much looking forward to spending Tampa Bay Derby day there and really attacking the wagering product!
I believe the average field size at Tampa has decreased slightly due to the nationwide horse shortage but the handle has risen. That makes Tampa's continued ascension to the major leagues even more impressive.
ReplyDeleteLike I do everywhere else on the web, I'd like to drive home the point that the exacta and trifecta takeout rates must be reduced for spot players like me. I am not one to tie myself up with wagers of four and five race sequence. And there are legions like me who would contribute more in the vertical pools.
That said, Tampa Bay would do well to make win-place-show pools fashionable again by implementing what Hialeah did with their quarterhorse meet. 12% wps takeout rates in 2012 would make tremendous noise among the wagering public. Go Tampa Go !!
Takeout schmakeout!
ReplyDeleteI've read numerous times on a blog somewhere that takeout (hikes or reductions) doesn't matter.
I think more and more people are cognizant of takeout than ever before. We have to ask ourselves where did the other 6 billion in handle a year disappear to that was bet 6 or 7 years ago when handle peaked.
ReplyDeleteOffshore? Other forms of gambling? Players dying and not being replaced?
I think right now the highest percentage of players ever (and those who are responsible for the highest percentage of handle) are very aware of takeout.
However, even if they aren't aware, it affects every bettor.
Have you watched the races at Tampa? Horrible product except for a few good stake events. Bottom maidens, cheap claimers and boring fare. yes, reducing the takeout was fine, but until the purses are on par with better tracks, TBD will always be a 3rd rate track.
ReplyDeleteno way man, Tampa Bay downs is BANGIN,check the pick 4s,competitve track as ive ever seen,GP shippers great to bet, options are tremondous i honestly wait for weekend racing there though only,but tampa is one of my top tracks
ReplyDelete