Economic Indicators: Wagering Down Seven Percent To Kick Off 2023 and Sundre Other Stories

Paulick Report – Economic Indicators: Wagering Down Seven Percent To Kick Off 2023

TDN – Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators: Purses Up, Wagering Down

Paulick Report – Voss – Going The Way Of The Greyhounds?

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TDN – Fitzdares Set for Canada Launch

Sal says that the UCP should change their name to the Alberta Disadvantage.

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Bloodhorse – Triple Crown Nominees in 2023 Rise 18% to 369

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Forte, Tapit Trice Give Pletcher Two Punches in ‘Dozen

TDN – Thornton – TDN Derby Top 12: The Strong Get Stronger

Bloodhorse – Thirteen New Interests in KY Derby Future Wager Pool 4

TDN – Champion Forte Made Early Favorite for Derby Pool 4

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“Everything I do, I bet legally,” McIngvale told the Houston Chronicle. Driving to Louisiana for two hours is not that much of an inconvenience. … They’ve [leaders] got to look at it, because I’m concerned that the revenue estimates, as far as what’s going to come into the state, are overblown.

“My change of heart is that I know myself and I’ve seen the light as far as impulsiveness on me to sports gambling. Because I’ve got to drive to Louisiana, it limits those impulses by a factor of 1,000. So I’m not in favor of sports gambling in Texas.”

Sports Illustrated – Watson – Legendary Bettor Mattress Mack Opposes Sports Betting in Texas

Houston Chronicle – Smith: Let voters decide if Texas should legalize sports betting

Sal says that he had to do a double take on the calendar to be sure it didn’t read April 1.

Sal says that Mattress Mack may be right about the revenue estimates being overblown, but he’s one of the few who bets legally and when he does the tax revenue goes to another state. While Mattress Mack is driving to Louisiana or flying to Vegas the rest of Texas is betting offshore on their computer, laptop or smartphone with nary a nickel of tax revenue heading to any US state or the Feds.

Los Angeles Times – Miller – Rams legend Jack Youngblood played through pain. That’s why he admires Patrick Mahomes

Never Been To Spain

Dead-end street

This year’s change in the points structure to reward horses running fifth in Road races is also a dead-end street. Why hand out points to horses who can’t even hit the board in a prep? That’s almost as bad as making the most prestigious Road races tantamount to win-and-you’re-in contests for the Derby, with their top-heavy payload of points allowing winners to gatecrash the established rankings at the last minute.

So here’s a new roadmap, to make the journey almost as compelling as the destination:

• A later start and fewer races, to inspire greater competition in the ones that remain
• No races run outside the US, and none run on synthetics
• Only the first three finishers in Road races to accrue qualifying points
• Less disparity between the 20 points on offer to the Holy Bull (say) winner and the 100 points granted to the Arkansas Derby (say) winner – if the Arkansas Derby (and the Florida Derby, Blue Grass etc) was worth 40, it would further encourage trainers and owners to run their horses with a little more frequency.

All roads lead to Churchill Downs in May – they used to lead to Rome, but the Capannelle ain’t what it used to be – but there’s only one Road that really matters. The destination takes care of itself, but the journey needs some assistance.

The Atlantic – Maxwelll King – Mister Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

Dr. Seuss

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Why the long and winding road should be short and straight – Steve Dennis on the Kentucky Derby

Long and Winding Road

TDN – Signator Off Derby Trail

Paulick Report – ‘She May Be One Of The Best Horses I’ve Ever Trained’: Wonder Wheel Preparing For 2023 Debut

MarketScreener – Betmakers Technology Group Ltd Board and Management Restructure

MarketScreener – BetMakers Technology Group Cancels Options, Rights Issued to Tripp Investment Trust

i Gaming Business – BetMakers issues earnings warning amid major tech investment

i Gaming Business – BetMakers defends $15m Tripp payment as ASX questions deal

i Gaming Business – Fletcher – News Corp, Tekkorp and TGW to launch BetMakers-powered wagering venture

Sal says that the media releases from Betmakers are filled with the same type of bullshit fluff that bamboozles the UCP Ministers when they read the Horse Racing Alberta Business Plans.

Horse Racing Nation – Flatter – Fixed odds hit stride in New Jersey; rest of America is next

DRF – Hegarty – Racing industry urged to embrace fixed-odds wagering

Sal says that fixed odds sound like a simple solution to the problem of the rebate whales late money destroying odds, but Avril knows it’s more Complicated. Sal says that a much better long term solution would be lowering the WPS takeout across the board and decreasing the rebates to the whales. You’re not going to attract sports bettors into racing when the racing takeout on WPS is double the vig on straight sports wagers. Sal says that the tracks need to take a lesson from the casinos and sportsbooks and hide their higher takeouts in multi race, multi horse and prop bets just like the sportsbooks hide the higher vig in props and parlays.

Sal says that if the sportsbooks can come up with over 2,000 prop bets for the Superbowl why are there none in horse racing. Start with something simple like – will the total of the first three horses numbers be over or under xx, will Prat or Pletcher win a race on today’s card, will Ortiz Jr. or Cox win more than 1 race on today’s card, etc.

Sports Illustrated – Beck – LeBron James Breaks NBA Record for Most Career Points

Los Angeles Times – Woike – How LeBron James claimed the NBA’s scoring crown, step by step

The Ringer – Kram – How LeBron James Broke the All-Time Scoring Record

The Ringer – Fader – LeBron, Kareem, and the Secrets to Greatness

The Ringer – Pina – Ranking the Best Moments of LeBron James’s Career

Daily Mail – Alec Baldwin asks court to DISQUALIFY special prosecutor assigned to his involuntary manslaughter case because she is a Republican lawmaker and her position is ‘unconstitutional’

Garden and Gun – Liles – Leftovers for Lars

Sports Illustrated – Aaron Rodgers Going on ‘Darkness Retreat’ As He Mulls Football Future

Darkness, Darkness

TSN – AP sources: Marty Walsh to leave Biden Cabinet to run NHLPA

ESPN – Purdum – Survey: Record 50.4 million adults to bet $16B on Super Bowl

Paulick Report – Racing ‘Cannot Survive If History Keeps Repeating Itself’: Gagliano Argues Against Status Quo

Paulick Report – ‘Classic Limbo’: Frankie Dettori’s First Saturday In May Remains Up In The Air Despite Newgate Victory

Relax

The Ringer – Princiotti – The Uncomfortable, Messy Truth of Watching This NFL Season

Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised.

Marilyn Manson

Sports Illustrated – Scott – Suns President, CEO Jason Rowley Resigns Following Workplace Misconduct Probe, per Report

ESPN – Holmes – NBA board of governors approves sale of Suns, Mercury to Mat Ishbia

Reviewed – Murphy and Khan – 17 things you need to host an awesome Super Bowl party

Sal says that they forgot Number one with a bullet.

Five Thirty Eight – Best – How Massive The NFL Really Is, In 4 Charts

Sal says that thoroughbred racing has a long way to go to even make an appearance on one of those charts.

Sports Business Journal – Bill King – SBJ Betting: Sportsbooks pump up Super Bowl plans

ESPN – Purdum – Super Bowl LVII notable bets: The making of a 2,000-prop betting menu

Sal says that with 2,000 props bets there’s no time left to watch the game.

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Hawthorne Sal