Betting drops at Pimlico

Officials: Clear Preakness favorite, slots in nearby states, simulcast issues are factors

The spring decline at Pimlico follows an even bigger dip at Laurel Park in the winter, when wagering fell by 17.3 percent. But Laurel had gone from racing 71 days in 2007 to 59 in 2008.

Chuckas, who took over his MJC post last month, said the impact of Pennsylvania's slots-healthy purses also affected field sizes this spring, dropping the average number of horses in a Pimlico race from eight to seven. Bettors prefer to wager on large fields.

"With the purse levels in Pennsylvania, it's a struggle to get horses," Chuckas said. "And the Advanced Deposit Wagering issue also needs to be addressed. We were pretty fortunate on Preakness Day because the horsemen in Florida and Churchill Downs got our signal in, but it wasn't in for the rest of the meet."

To combat these problems, Chuckas said the MJC has to take a look "at broadening our thought process and investigate other avenues" for bringing people, especially younger ones, to the racetrack.

"I think the Virgin Festival at Pimlico in August is a perfect opportunity to do something," he said. "If people have a positive experience, they'll be more likely to come back to the facility. We have to use it as a tool, with passes or discounts and try to make it appealing to them to take the offered opportunity to come back.

"Some of it is trial and error, but we need to get out there and start working."

[e-mail]