This is the one story I have never told and it is the true begining of how we eventually all came to be together in these truly historical and extrodinary times we live in today.
Back in the fall/winter of 95 ( the pre bunch of crashes years) The horse racing powers that be embarked on thier attempt to allow US citzens to bet races through thier phone accounts in Neveda. Unheard to even think of back then. Seems to me at that time several promotions in and around town for all kinds of state based and hyped things never really went anywhere. Mostly contest or gimmicks. The Barbary Coast I dont think had quite come on yet, but they were by far the most succesful with what they did witht that radio show and all.
Once the disscussons about the possiblity of doing all this start the times become tense. Everything that went on in the first half of the 90's positivly favored someone plotting out a career in the race and sportsbook industry. They cut off sports betting nationwide. Great! No one getting in on my turf.
Keeps things nice and tight and dependent on Vegas.
When you know you are on the major number 1 or 2 in towwn one day track you learn to think like this.
When they started the national pari mutual pools betting talk, even better. One thing I knew for sure was this, the fed and the treasury had figured out how they were going to pay themselves first from all this or there would have been no talk at all. Talk about exciting. Thats expansion right there baby!!!!
From the phones, to slots at the track, to hotels at or nearby the track, to reversing ther position and allowing sports betting at these venues and beyond. That was the plan. They had it all figured out. And I knew it. So much so, as things started firming up so to speak, I started making plans to one day open up a race and sportsbook operation in the chicagoland area that I am from. I knew exactly how to set it up. I just had to work my way up and let the powers that be do thier thing.
I was not the only pinning hopes on this as well. There are only so many openings. This created oppurtunities for the 10 dollar an hour plus tips crowd that wanted to stick around to think about.
Everytime Robert came back from a meeting, an article of what happened and where things were at appeared. You could tell just by the way he was walking and acting what was going on. Reading about it in the gaming today and other industry newspapers, plus a number of our retiress whom made thier names in the 50 and 60's in that industry talking about it all the time, made that more intense and exciting.
Of course the focus was the Stardust taking the calls first and yours truly sitting in the chair taking the calls. There were so many stops and go's. It was crazy. The fear of everything really was unreal at that time.
However all stayed the course and we got to the spring of 96 somehow with all on the same page. WOW. It was just a matter of picking a track(s) and day to start it all. I can distintcly remember Robert telling me one day a couple of weeks before that it was going to be on a saturday starting with
churchill I believe. Only he said it on the fly walikng by me and so causually at that. The classic you dont want to believe its true delivry. I was like really, and he said yeah.
Then you wait it out. The walkdown period is in full bloom. Any little thing can upset the whole apple cart. We barely made out of the thurs, fri, period preceeding that saturday. Tense stuff for sure.
Finally the day comes and I am sitting at my desk when Robert nods me over to the phone to set up things. With about 5 minutes to post, Joe lupo comes out tells Robert he has a phone call. We look at each other in that oh brother way as he stands up to go to the back. He comes out a few minutes later, looks at me, and his shoulders and head just dropped. I remember looking up at that screen in front of me and thinking that they killed this whole deal with 2 minutes left to go before post. Just shaking my head.
Postivly sickening. Not for myself at that moment, but for all of you in the industry and industry past. A true right at the brink, full acceptance from society, come out from the shawdows moment was at hand. Then me.
When you are so in very tune with all that is going on AND you get your chance to be a part of the history of it all......
I WAS GOING TO TAKE THAT FIRST CALL. And the rest for the weekend as well. We just had to get to Monday and we were home free. We just had to get to Monday.
In the times we live in now, I have often thought about those days the last few weeks. The what if's run deep and plentiful. The person whoms decision it was to pull the plug was to scared to take a chance. Hindsight is 30/30 here and from what we know of technolgy now, ( windows 95 back then remember) and of the normal ways scandels not long after, i.e. Arizona St, he made the right decision. Still wanted to kill him at the time though just like everyone else.
From there we all know what happened. The Vegas Crusade Years. Just 2 minutes away from none of that happening.
Now, 16 years later here we all are. We are not better for the wear. It was a long, emotionally exahausting, negative return on investment for all in the end. The money made means nothing really.
We are at the same point now as we were then in the end. Ready to embark on a bright and brand new gaming future.
WELCOME ABOARD.
Back in the fall/winter of 95 ( the pre bunch of crashes years) The horse racing powers that be embarked on thier attempt to allow US citzens to bet races through thier phone accounts in Neveda. Unheard to even think of back then. Seems to me at that time several promotions in and around town for all kinds of state based and hyped things never really went anywhere. Mostly contest or gimmicks. The Barbary Coast I dont think had quite come on yet, but they were by far the most succesful with what they did witht that radio show and all.
Once the disscussons about the possiblity of doing all this start the times become tense. Everything that went on in the first half of the 90's positivly favored someone plotting out a career in the race and sportsbook industry. They cut off sports betting nationwide. Great! No one getting in on my turf.
Keeps things nice and tight and dependent on Vegas.
When you know you are on the major number 1 or 2 in towwn one day track you learn to think like this.
When they started the national pari mutual pools betting talk, even better. One thing I knew for sure was this, the fed and the treasury had figured out how they were going to pay themselves first from all this or there would have been no talk at all. Talk about exciting. Thats expansion right there baby!!!!
From the phones, to slots at the track, to hotels at or nearby the track, to reversing ther position and allowing sports betting at these venues and beyond. That was the plan. They had it all figured out. And I knew it. So much so, as things started firming up so to speak, I started making plans to one day open up a race and sportsbook operation in the chicagoland area that I am from. I knew exactly how to set it up. I just had to work my way up and let the powers that be do thier thing.
I was not the only pinning hopes on this as well. There are only so many openings. This created oppurtunities for the 10 dollar an hour plus tips crowd that wanted to stick around to think about.
Everytime Robert came back from a meeting, an article of what happened and where things were at appeared. You could tell just by the way he was walking and acting what was going on. Reading about it in the gaming today and other industry newspapers, plus a number of our retiress whom made thier names in the 50 and 60's in that industry talking about it all the time, made that more intense and exciting.
Of course the focus was the Stardust taking the calls first and yours truly sitting in the chair taking the calls. There were so many stops and go's. It was crazy. The fear of everything really was unreal at that time.
However all stayed the course and we got to the spring of 96 somehow with all on the same page. WOW. It was just a matter of picking a track(s) and day to start it all. I can distintcly remember Robert telling me one day a couple of weeks before that it was going to be on a saturday starting with
churchill I believe. Only he said it on the fly walikng by me and so causually at that. The classic you dont want to believe its true delivry. I was like really, and he said yeah.
Then you wait it out. The walkdown period is in full bloom. Any little thing can upset the whole apple cart. We barely made out of the thurs, fri, period preceeding that saturday. Tense stuff for sure.
Finally the day comes and I am sitting at my desk when Robert nods me over to the phone to set up things. With about 5 minutes to post, Joe lupo comes out tells Robert he has a phone call. We look at each other in that oh brother way as he stands up to go to the back. He comes out a few minutes later, looks at me, and his shoulders and head just dropped. I remember looking up at that screen in front of me and thinking that they killed this whole deal with 2 minutes left to go before post. Just shaking my head.
Postivly sickening. Not for myself at that moment, but for all of you in the industry and industry past. A true right at the brink, full acceptance from society, come out from the shawdows moment was at hand. Then me.
When you are so in very tune with all that is going on AND you get your chance to be a part of the history of it all......
I WAS GOING TO TAKE THAT FIRST CALL. And the rest for the weekend as well. We just had to get to Monday and we were home free. We just had to get to Monday.
In the times we live in now, I have often thought about those days the last few weeks. The what if's run deep and plentiful. The person whoms decision it was to pull the plug was to scared to take a chance. Hindsight is 30/30 here and from what we know of technolgy now, ( windows 95 back then remember) and of the normal ways scandels not long after, i.e. Arizona St, he made the right decision. Still wanted to kill him at the time though just like everyone else.
From there we all know what happened. The Vegas Crusade Years. Just 2 minutes away from none of that happening.
Now, 16 years later here we all are. We are not better for the wear. It was a long, emotionally exahausting, negative return on investment for all in the end. The money made means nothing really.
We are at the same point now as we were then in the end. Ready to embark on a bright and brand new gaming future.
WELCOME ABOARD.
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