NTRA Players Panel looking to better the service to their top customers

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Another Day, Another Dollar
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Four members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Player's Panel--James Quinn, David Gutfreund, Mike Maloney, and Ken Kirchner--offered ideas on how tracks can offer better service to their top customers during a talk at the NTRA Annual Meeting and Marketing Summit on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Gutfreund, a professional handicapper based in Chicago, advised racetrack executives to offer more information for handicappers on their simulcasts while making that information more consistent.

"Your simulcast audience is almost like radio. Your audience is changing every 15 minutes. If you put information on your simulcast production, that doesn't mean that your audience is going to see it. When it comes to information services, more is better," Gutfreund said. "It's OK to repeat information two or three times during the betting cycle."

Gutfreund was also adamant that the industry standardizes how it shows mutuel prices.

"Win, place, and show, exactas, quinellas, and daily doubles should be $2 prices," Gutfreund said. "Vertical and horizontal wagers such as trifectas, superfectas, pick threes, and pick fours should be in $1 payoffs."

Quinn heads the 12 members that make up the NTRA Player's Panel, which is researching many issues including: the integrity of the wagering pools, the changing of odds caused by late merger of bets, takeout rates, rebate policies, withholding taxes, rules regarding exotic bets when late scratches occur, the integrity of entries, and overall customer service.

Quinn said individual members have been given the task of writing position papers that will mirror the findings of the NTRA Player's Panel. Information has been gathered through conference calls of the members, surveys taken at racetracks, and focus groups involving core-wagering fans.

Maloney, a professional player from Lexington, said withholding taxes are a big problem. He said he bets approximately $10-million a year and stated his withholding taxes for 2002 were more than $500,000.

Maloney recommended changes.

"We should allow professional horseplayers who are required to operate like a business, to be taxed and treated like a business," Maloney said. "For example, we should not pay withholding on any amount, but pay estimated quarterly taxes on our profits, like any other business would be allowed to do."

Kirchner is the director of simulcasting for the Breeders' Cup. He said that the industry can do a better job of servicing the "10% of the bettors who wager 70% of the money" into the pari-mutuel pools.—Richard Eng



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