Meadowlands: Changes produce strong returns industry-wide

On Saturday (March 5) night at The Meadowlands total handle reached a seasonal high and industry-best of $3,755,422 on the 13-race card, but several other harness venues also saw a jump in business on the first Saturday of March.

"It was a very good weekend for the sport of Standardbred racing," said Meadowlands Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. "At The Meadowlands, many of our top drivers returned to action, and we also added a few minutes for each race, which created more space for other tracks to successfully spot their races between those at The Big M.

"This strategy worked extremely well, as compared to 2021, the result was a jump in handle of $600,000 at The Meadowlands Saturday night, along with increased business at Mohawk, Northfield and Cal Expo last weekend. These are positive business trends everyone likes to see."

But The Big M led the way, with a little help from its friends at the United States Trotting Association.

"Since 2011, the USTA Strategic Wagering initiative continues to knock it out of the park every night," said Settlemoir. "The increased interest in these wagers under the initiative's umbrella is undeniable. Our Saturday card was highlighted by our low-takeout wagers like the 50-cent Pick-4, which averaged over $111,000, plus a $58,000 20-cent Pick-6 pool."

Daily information about Strategic Wagering is available on the USTA's website.

Back to Saturday, when Big M betting was beyond vigorous.

Wagering per race Saturday night was $288,878, which was a big increase over the last two corresponding Saturdays. In 2021, betting was $3,114,493 for an average of $238,676, and in 2020, $2,845,231 was put in play, good for an average of $218,863.

-edited release (Meadowlands)