Harness: Jackpot bets need more clarification

The debate on whether Jackpot bets, where the wager only pays if there is one unique winning ticket, are good for horse racing will likely continue forever. I've never been one to participate in a Jackpot wager unless there was a mandatory payout because it is a waste of wagering dollars to bet into a pool where you aren't being rewarded with all the money in the pool minus takeout if you win. There is also the issue of churn. Bettors are able to keep wagering (and keep tracks afloat) because they win money and reinvest. If bettors plop money into a pool which only gets hit once every few months, all of that money which could be used to place future wagers is being held in limbo.

I do see the flip-side argument. There are some people who do bet these wagers, and it creates a Jackpot that can result in million-dollar pools, something all harness tracks would never see otherwise. Wagering aside, Jackpot bets create buzz and provide tracks with something worth marketing and promoting.

Whether you are in favor of Jackpot bets or not, there is one issue where there is no ambiguity. Tracks MUST properly inform bettors when there is a Jackpot wager and clearly explain to them what that means. There are tracks out there which are programing Jackpot wagers while simply listing them as a Pick 5 and others which use some fancy name like Empire Hi-5. Are these tricks to lure players in or did these tracks simply drop the ball when it comes to seeing the big picture?

In some instances tracks do list in the fine print at the bottom of the program how the wager is distributed, and that is a good thing, but isn't it more transparent to also place the Jackpot moniker alongside any bet which carries those attributes? As strange as it may seem to the experienced bettor, most people wagering have no clue what takeout is or the details of partial-pool payouts. We as an industry need to educate people so they can make better decisions, which will result in more money inside their wallets and more wagering.

In addition to the lack of clarity on each program page, some tracks also send out constant press releases promoting the Jackpot carryover on days when there is no mandatory payout. Is the message here to throw money into a bet that you are very unlikely to hit? Even worse, other tracks mention the carryover and fail to mention that it is a Jackpot bet. This is complete false advertising, as players are lured into thinking they can take down a nice score, only to find out later they only share in a small percentage of the pool.

I'm not here to throw any tracks under the bus or to douse the flames of the Jackpot concept. If properly presented to the betting public, they should be able to decide how to spend their money. I would like to point out what I think is the best way to handle these bets.

1) Include the word "Jackpot" in the name of the wager at the top of the program page, along with the minimum denomination required to play it. So if you want to call it the "Empire Pick 5," then just tweak it to "Empire Jackpot Pick 5."

2) Each program page that includes the start of a Jackpot bet should have a disclaimer at the bottom saying: "The Jackpot bet requires one unique winning ticket in order to pay out the complete pool. In the case of multiple winners, they will share XX percent of the money wagered and XX percent will carryover over to the next card." I'm not married to that exact language but something similar would be fine.

3) No mention should be made of Jackpot wagers in press releases unless it involves a mandatory payout. If a track feels this rule is too strict, I'd settle for allowing mentions of the Jackpot pool without referring to it as a carryover and with clear distinction (as above) that a unique ticket is required for the entire pool to be distributed.

Like them or not, Jackpot bets are likely here to stay. If we accept that truth, the only thing that remains is to make them as transparent as possible so people understand the risk/reward and can make an educated decision whether it is the best wager for them.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Dragging me down?

Switching gears slightly to another issue. Recently, two tracks - The Meadows and the Meadowlands - announced intentions to reduce drag time. For the uninitiated, drag is the amount of time a track keeps the "minutes to post" clock on zero before starting a race. The idea behind a long drag is that more people will bet when the screen says the next race is imminent with 0 MTP.

There are many drag haters out there which state that they want to know exactly when a race will start so they can be prepared to make wagers. With that in mind, The Meadows began a new experiment in 2022 of having the starting car begin to move into place when the clock reaches 0 MTP and the race immediately commencing. Basically, the new format reduced the drag to about two minutes per race and created a consistent experience for customers. The track is only a few days in, but other than an equipment delay on the first race of the trial, everything has gone smoothly.

"So far it seems to be working well," said Director of Racing Scott Lishia, who is taking a long-term approach to the experiment. "We definitely will give this some time and see how it goes before any decisions are made moving forward. We do have to be very diligent when setting the post times to try and stay off of tracks because the flexibility on the back end isn't there as before. The mutuel folks are doing a great job working with this."

New procedures at the Meadowlands took effect January 7 and 8 with a slightly different format. When 0 MTP arrives, a 180 second countdown clock is displayed on the screen, and the race begins shortly after completion. This has reduced the drag from as much as 10-15 minutes for the first race in the past down to between four and eight minutes, with the higher wait times coming during the $50,000 guaranteed Pick 4 races.

"We're going to continue to experiment with the drag," said Jason Settlemoir, COO/GM New Meadowlands Racetrack, who added that outside factors make it difficult to tell whether the new format had an effect on handle. "It is hard to tell the effects on handle as Canada [Woodbine Mohawk Park, etc.] was closed last year."

Even though post time at the Meadowlands is scheduled for 6:20 p.m., prior to last weekend the first race started anywhere from 6:30 to 6:36. It was a bit of a guessing game on the part of bettors to know when the card would commence. On January 7 and 8 the first race began promptly at 6:20, a change Settlemoir said would "most likely" continue.

While neither of the above trials completely eliminates drag, they both do something more important by creating a uniform experience for the customers. When bettors know exactly what to expect, they are less likely to get shut-out and more likely to be happy. Other tracks already use a countdown clock, and it will be interesting to see if more incorporate that feature, along with a more consistent drag time. Keeping customers informed is good business!