Is harness racing thriving?

[pocketrocketwinner]

Think about these drivers making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some can't even read. Grooms can get Jon's at other farms. So the fallout wouldn't be as bad as every horseman thinks.
At some point the the casinos have to ask. Is the juice worth the squeeze. Most of the population probably doesn't think it is.  Put it up for a vote. Maybe we would have less flat tires. Or less kids in classrooms. Just saying  there are way more productive options. Harness racing had their shot. They dropped the ball. Shame on them. It's their own fault. Should of had qualified leaders leading the industry. Not hiring every trainers wife or daughter.

MGM has made it clear over the years. They have no interest in being in the racing industry whatsoever. They will whatever it takes to decouple NFLD and Yonkers racing from their casinos and end racing. If they are not successful by some poing in the futire they will sell and get out.

[Pacer 2]

Rolling full steam ahead with what will be an ALL TIME record season at Hoosier Park!  Momentum continues with a 64% increase in handle over the same week last year!..........Gabe Prewitt


      Thats Thriving

[Black juice]

some of you guys amaze me
at the end of the day who the fuck cares
harness racing isn't hurting anyone, 90% of the people working in it would be on unemployment if not for harness racing
in the  big scheme of things any money allocated to harness racing is a pimple on an elephants ass compared to the billions the usa wastes in so many areas ( which i wont go into )

✅✅

[Black juice]

It is hurting people because those dollars could be going something people actually want. Put it to a referendum and let the tax payer decide. What do you thing the outcome of that vote would be?

lol 😂 you’re a broken record, don’t worry the roads and infrastructure will get the money hurt their projects they always do regardless,🙄

[Pacer 2]

Think about these drivers making hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some can't even read. Grooms can get Jon's at other farms. So the fallout wouldn't be as bad as every horseman thinks.
At some point the the casinos have to ask. Is the juice worth the squeeze. Most of the population probably doesn't think it is.  Put it up for a vote. Maybe we would have less flat tires. Or less kids in classrooms. Just saying  there are way more productive options. Harness racing had their shot. They dropped the ball. Shame on them. It's their own fault. Should of had qualified leaders leading the industry. Not hiring every trainers wife or daughter.

   Funny you dont complain about pro athletes making $100 MILLION for playing a game for 6 months a year!   Some of them cant read either!

[Kenny]

Rolling full steam ahead with what will be an ALL TIME record season at Hoosier Park!  Momentum continues with a 64% increase in handle over the same week last year!..........Gabe Prewitt


      Thats Thriving

ECONOMIC INDICATORS ON U.S. RACES
October 7, 2025: $2,683,276
2025   2024   % Change
Total Wagered   $1,068,250,952   $1,167,014,669   -8.46%
Per Race avg.   $40,778   $43,261   -5.74%
Per Betting Interest   $5,291   $5,569   -4.99%
Purses   $388,327,978   $384,767,434   +0.93%
Race Days   2481   2521   -1.59%

Lots of negative numbers!

In PA close to 90% of the purses are funded by government handouts. Remove the handouts and purses are around 15% of what they are now.  A $10,000 purse falls to $1,500.

[Kenny]

MGM has made it clear over the years. They have no interest in being in the racing industry whatsoever. They will whatever it takes to decouple NFLD and Yonkers racing from their casinos and end racing. If they are not successful by some poing in the futire they will sell and get out.

When the casino was built at Northfield is is a few feet from the grandstand yet the did not connect the two buildings.  When the Red Mile built the casino, they paved the parking lot for the casino customers and spent nothing on the grandstand.

[Kenny]

lol 😂 you’re a broken record, don’t worry the roads and infrastructure will get the money hurt their projects they always do regardless,🙄

But they don't.  I drove many miles in states with racing handouts. The infrastructure is falling apart.  It isn't me you have to worry about, it is the voters who COULD CARE LESS ABOUT RACING.

[Pacer 2]

ECONOMIC INDICATORS ON U.S. RACES
October 7, 2025: $2,683,276
2025   2024   % Change
Total Wagered   $1,068,250,952   $1,167,014,669   -8.46%
Per Race avg.   $40,778   $43,261   -5.74%
Per Betting Interest   $5,291   $5,569   -4.99%
Purses   $388,327,978   $384,767,434   +0.93%
Race Days   2481   2521   -1.59%

Lots of negative numbers!

In PA close to 90% of the purses are funded by government handouts. Remove the handouts and purses are around 15% of what they are now.  A $10,000 purse falls to $1,500.

     an ALL TIME record season at Hoosier

[Kenny]

   Funny you dont complain about pro athletes making $100 MILLION for playing a game for 6 months a year!   Some of them cant read either!

That is supported by the FANS/CUSTOMERS not government handouts.

[Ignorance Is Bliss]

   Funny you dont complain about pro athletes making $100 MILLION for playing a game for 6 months a year!   Some of them cant read either!

You really are a special kind of stupid. 

[Racetime]

The question should be how long will the government keep giving money to a business that continues to lose money ?

[Justwatchingtheraces]

The question should be how long will the government keep giving money to a business that continues to lose money ?

I guess if that want to operate like the post office they will continue. They want to make it sound like this is an investment and it does so much good for farmers. In Ohio we do not produce enough hay for horses and lots of it is trucked in. I am guessing most of the grain that is fed is oat based. We do not grow many oats.

[Any1Left]

Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds had a year that had baseball buzzing and then we found out that this miracle year was tainted with steroids and today no one talks about the amazing battle because it was not real.      On a GRAND CIRCUIT day of racing when BURKE wins 5 and ALEXANDER wins 1 and Pelling wins 3 with 6 track records and 6 small prices who with a brain walks away and feels proud of the game.        Around 5 years ago i spoke to a ex trainer from MONTREAL and he told me that he stood outside the casino everyday protesting the closure of Blue Bonnets freezing his nuts off and he thought life was over as that is all he knew and he also told me he owed everyone money and was always broke and 5 years later he realized that the closing was a miracle for him as he could now go on a vacation and enjoy life and no one he knew from the protest lines had really suffered,      Bottom line is owners getting destroyed big time and i was told many years earlier that the pictures were worth the loss of money but that can not be true as very very few take a picture these days.       Gamblers Getting destroyed as who can beat a high vig with 1-2 shots winning at a rate like never before and last who enjoys the show of soft racing that happens 10 times a day.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

A business? Meaning a specific business? Or, an industry?

Good question. Perhaps. So, how long will the government "keep giving money to".....

Agriculture companies
Energy companies
Housing/Development companies
Tech companies
Aviation/Airline companies
Railroad companies
Defense contractor companies
Various manufacturing companies

Point being, one, it's not such a simple, linear discussion. Two, "subsidies" is a very generic term. There are many different contexts and meaning.