Vol. 3, No. 10, October 2006
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Breeding the Best
Will Borgata’s classy race book mean a revival of the bet in Atlantic City?
Horse racing patrons enjoy their slice of Borgata’s $200 million expansion pie. Part of the mass upgrade created a modernized room for the industry’s overlooked masses. It gave simulcast players, who wager daily on horse races throughout the world, a mini-palace. The Borgata room features 100 seats, scores of plasma televisions, self-betting machines and a liberating sense of space.
It’s a bonanza for bettors, who traditionally operate in cramped quarters. Much of the claustrophobia centers on their gaming impact—casinos don’t realize substantial revenue from simulcasting, even though a player’s win percentage rivals the worst games in the casino. The quandary exists because tracks, not casinos, receive a lion’s share of the handle.
Once New Jersey failed to enact legalized sports betting, a move that would have piggybacked horse racing atop a massive sports-book construction, racing fans suffered. Many properties now squeeze simulcasting into a corner or convert its space to more lucrative ventures like slots and poker. Some jurisdictions elevate horse racing only in tandem with other ventures. Las Vegas combines racing and legalized sports betting into monolithic betting parlors. Mohegan Sun, with enormous screens, self-betting machines and mammoth space, is probably the best facility in the country. It arrived in an overall expansion.
Atlantic City does not have to rival these measures, but a timely upgrade produces sharp results. Borgata joins Wild Wild West in promoting the Sport of Kings and its ancillary by-product. Players can opt for additional games, bring spouses and patronize restaurants. They also come en masse for special events like the November 4 Breeders Cup.
The Borgata will consider Breeders Cup Day its first major event since the June 30 opening. Yet the facility has already done well. It was jammed on the Tuesday after Labor Day, with only eight of a possible 16 tracks running.
“We wanted to create a great experience for these customers,” says Nancygail Jones, Borgata’s race book manager. “Borgata offers guests a ‘trade up’ experience in comparison to the other product offerings in the city. We know there’s competition, so we make sure our guests have a memorable experience every time they come here.”
Overnight, Borgata became one of the city’s premier race books. Sixteen tracks can be shown at one time on varying screen sizes. Thirty-two tracks will be shown on a busy day, like Saturday. Top-flight facilities like Churchill Downs (site of the 2006 Breeders Cup), Santa Anita, Belmont Park, Arlington and the Meadowlands simulcast their meets. Lesser-known tracks feature maidens (who have never won) and encourage longshots.
The agenda arrives in style. Bettors regard the upgrade the way a starving person would eye a smorgasbord. It’s a visual wagering feast.
Every seat has its own 15-inch plasma television, the new-millennium simulcast version of the UN. Players can select tracks they wish to follow, rather than strain eyeballs when their favorite facility is tucked in a corner. The up-close look provides convenience and benefits “looks” players, who monitor a horse’s appearance before committing to a bet.
Then come the Tiny Tims. No, not the infamous singer, but self-betting machines at a player’s seat. Forty of these high-tech machines alleviate the top source of aggravation among bettors—long lines which produce shutouts. With Tiny Tims (“Tiptoe through the Trotters?”), a player can wager right where he sits. This comfort, still considered a cutting-edge element, enables a player to stay for several hours and rarely leave his seat.
“It works on a daily basis,” Jones says. “You can open an account for one day and be given an account number. When you press that number in on the machine, you can make wagers. If you need to add to the account, you can do that.”
A number of self-betting machines dot the sides of the facility. A small high-end section caters to bigger bettors and the room sits around the corner from a cafeteria. Beverage servers and a bar at the back of the facility allow patrons to combine eating with gambling.
Borgata’s book opens at 11 a.m. daily. Weekend visitors are encouraged to come early to claim a seat. Some will be reserved for hotel guests.
Bally’s, meanwhile, offers the simulcast exacta. Wild Wild West and Billy’s combine to provide Atlantic City’s largest number of seats. Wild Wild West, with 95 seats, also offers the city’s largest center-cube screen (five by five feet). Four large projection screens, 24 of the 36-inch screens and 13-inch televisions at each seat highlight its state-of-the-art approach. Wild Wild West stood alone as the only property with a Vegas-type race book until Borgata appeared.
Patrons have more than a month to enjoy Atlantic City’s simulcast parlors before Breeders Cup Day. More than a month to savor the fact that every day is now a step up.
