Presque Isle handle at $311K daily

Presque Isle Downs, the racetrack and casino in Erie, Pa., that opened last year, had all-sources daily average handle of $311,140 for the 101-day meet that ended Sept. 28, according to figures provided by the track.

Total handle was $31,425,213, compared with $14,642,000 during the track's inaugural 25-day meet last year. Average daily all-sources handle for the short meet last year was $585,680.

Ontrack, bettors wagered an average of $39,128 a day. Off-track betting averaged $272,012.

The average daily purse distribution this year was $220,693. Average field size was 7.11 starters per race, according to the track, down 19.1 percent from 8.79 last year. Purses at Presque Isle are subsidized by casino gambling operations at the track and at other casino locations in the state.

From May to the end of September, total handle through Presque Isle's 2,000 slot machines was $948 million, for a daily average of $6.32 million, or 20 times the amount of money wagered daily on horse racing, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Total revenue from the machines during the five-month period was $78.1 million.