Meadowlands: Handle continues to be strong in November

November continues to bring good returns to both Meadowlands' regulars and management, as for a fourth consecutive year, business has shown gains during the 11th month on the calendar.

All-source handle averaged a not-too-shabby $2,110,835 during November of 2018, but business has improved every year since, as 2019 saw an average of $2,390,320, $2,510,807 in '20, $2,534,332 in '21, before this year's $2,757,205.

The last live racing night of the month was the best in terms of handle, when $3,398,962 was put in play on the brilliant 14-race program that made up "Fall Final Four/TVG Championships Night" on Saturday (Nov. 26).

"The industry has seen enormous progress since the horse racing bill was passed in 2019," said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. "Everyone in the industry owes a resounding thank you to Gov. Phil Murphy and the members of the New Jersey State Legislature.

"At The Meadowlands, we have the biggest pools and low take outs. Combine that with competitive racing featuring 10-horse fields, that leads to bigger payouts, which is what our fan base craves. Last weekend, just 10 favorites scored from 28 races. The price of many things are going up these days, but a win bet still costs just $2, the same as when we opened the doors at The Big M in 1976."

LIVE RACING THURSDAY: The final Thursday card of the year at The Big M takes place tonight (Dec. 1). Post time is 6:20 p.m.

Moving forward, racing at The Meadowlands will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis through the end of the year, with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. There are two exceptions on the schedule, as there will be no live racing on Dec. 23-24.

-edited release (Meadowlands)