Advanced Deposit Wagering Fiasco

Betting on ponies in 2008 reminds me of all the three card monte games that were played in the streets before the quality of life assault eliminated these games from street corners. Those Monte guys and their shills had a uncanny knack of hiding that lady and taking the marks money. They were fun games to watch. Today's horse racing market is not that far removed from the three card Monte games from 20 years ago. It must be funny for someone out there to watch horseplayers jumping through hoops to watch races and get a bet down. However it is not so funny if you are the mark jumping through the hoops.

Just like the Monte game the mark is always one step behind. You look under one hand and expect to be able to bet Churchill on the Twinspires website but the lady is not there. You go to the NYRA website to watch replays and the NY state government restricts NYRA from showing video and replays, the lady is not there either. This is like Ikea not being able to display furniture in it's big box superstore. You have to go to some to other store (calracing) to see the Ikea goods. You live in Texas and you can bet with a ADW, you can see a lady, but you can not bet on Texas races if you live in Texas. It is like being married and not being allowed to be intimate with your spouse. It is getting increasingly more challenging to find the lady in the horse racing world. The various regulatory bodies and the tracks themselves have made mistake after mistake, taking the customer for granted, disrespecting the customer and making few attempts to attract new fans. Real discontent is growing in the horseplayer community and a backlash is underway.

What can a horseplayer that truly loves the game do? We enjoy the game, it provides a diversion from the mundane responsibilities of life but on the other hand who wants to be a three card Monte mark? In New York takeout is increasing in new and punitive ways. It is like the state has introduced a new automated milking mechanism to harvest our milk more effectively and without us noticing. The state really thinks that horseplayers in New York will stand for getting less than track prices on each and every race we bet on. The NYSRWB consistently rules not for the good of the game or those that fund the game but for special interests like OTB. Rather than governing with the benevolent philosophy of growing the game and attracting new players, the current horseplayer is consistently treated like a lactating heifer fit to be milked dry. It is time to take our teats and jump the fence.

Horseplayers are not trapped in a round pen. We have options and outs. We can close our accounts and leave the game we love behind, but why cut off our noses to spite our faces? Perhaps a better option is to move our money to people that want our business and will treat us and the billions we wager with respect. Off-shore wagering was something I once resisted but it is time to embrace this alternate way to enjoy the game. It is a way to liberate ourselves from a dysfunctional system while collecting beneficial rebates. It is all about helping those that help us.

horse race wagering