by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA website is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

Bob Carson

My Uber driver this evening was a friendly, thirtyish chap wearing an oversized Boston Bruins hockey jersey. He leaned toward his open window and identified himself as Michael. Michael was the inspiration for this idea.

Not long ago, pushing a button and having a complete stranger show up in less than a minute to drive me home in his Prius was once unfathomable. Gambling on harness racing via a digital device was once unfathomable. Yet this is the new reality and we must do business in this world. New commerce and new customers are out there — but they are hard to find and hard to hold.

Gambling on harness racing will remain forbidding territory to potential new players because our learning curve is as steep as Mt. Everest. Also compounding this problem is the fact that most remaining gamblers and handicappers no longer physically attend races. We have very few Sherpas to show the way.

People will gamble, they always have, but the variety of gamblers we require (thinking gamblers) are not going to spend their money on our mountains without guides. New participants will not jump blindly off a cliff and throw money into the wind. This is where private business operators like Michael can help us grow.

A few blocks down the road I asked Michael if he liked his job.

“I do. I’m my own boss, set my own schedule, try to be innovative and enjoy meeting people. Plus, I like driving and sharing my knowledge of the city. Believe me, my friend, I know every side street and good restaurant within 20 miles. I’m not getting rich, but I’m happy.”

He tapped on an I-pad mini mounted on his dashboard. “Everything is possible because of this.”

I asked if he knew anything about harness horse racing.

“Not really. The only race I watch is the Kentucky Derby on television. Why?”

“Just curious.”

We traveled for a few minutes in silence, and then I asked, “Would you ever consider harness racing, gambling a few dollars on a race?”

He shrugged, “I guess, if I could find it on my I-pad. I have plenty of time, curiosity and I think horses are amazing creatures. But, I think it‘s pretty unlikely that I would because I don’t know much about the sport.”

Soon, we arrived at my house. I said goodbye but did not forget about Michael and his fellow travelers in this social media/digital/sharing/service/flexible/private economy world. This is the world in which we now live, a world where digital devices are the entrance points for businesses large and small.

Imagine that you, like Michael, want to make a few dollars doing something that you enjoy, something that you are an expert in, something you have a passion for. More than just a passion, you are a confident person and you know you have a very unique talent — handicapping harness horse races.

You start out with an idea, a digital device and then you look for your first customer. How and where you find this customer is up to you; maybe a friend, a relative or a business associate who you feel might enjoy the challenge of equine wagering — but you find one. Let’s call him Barry. Finding customers is the key to any business — big or small.

At eight o’clock on Friday evening, you are off and running. Using a screen sharing tool (there are many), Barry and you link up. On both of your screens identical race programs are displayed. You have chosen race four at the Meadowlands. You, as the instructor, have the ability to answer questions, use a stylus to circle and illustrate, pull up race replays and retrieve handicapping stats. Barry can watch and learn and ask as many questions as he feels necessary. Basically, you are handicapping a harness race and Barry is looking over your shoulder.

Barry is a bit wary. He reviews the parameters of the simple contract. “We both will be wagering $100 and we both will be placing the same wager. If the horse wins, we both win the same money. Before the race, for the next 20 minutes or so, you will share why you think this is a good bet and after the race you will review what went right or wrong.”

“Yes, basically I am your personal tutor for the next 30 minutes.”

Barry asks, “And you only receive payment if the horse wins money?”

“Yes, for any race that we cash a ticket, your fee is five percent of your gross profit on the wager. For example, if you bet $100, the payoff is $200. Your gross profit is $100 and my fee for instruction is $5. If we lose, you pay no fee.”

“Got it, now show me how to win a race.”

“Okay Barry, now, as you see, this is the fourth race. This track is located in New Jersey and the race goes off in about 30 minutes. As the program shows, there are nine horses in the race. Our play is going to be $100 to win on horse number six; he is a pacer and his name is Digital Tracks. But we will only place this bet if the odds are more than 3-1.

“Now, if you look at the yellow highlighting you will see how this horse did in his last race…”

Barry interrupts. “Hold on, I understand a win bet — but 3-1? The odds sort of confuse me.”

“No problem, odds and predicted payoffs confuse a lot of people. Let’s take a look at a chart that explains the odds and the payoffs.”

Slowly, carefully, methodically, individually — your job, well, actually your new business, is to explain your decision making process in wagering on a harness horse race. How you run this home business, your sales techniques and the countless decisions involved in a fledgling startup are all on the table as you set up shop to teach others about harness horse racing.

Teaching and learning can be fun. The right teacher and an interested student is a joy. You could do this — start a digital harness racing tutoring program and use your knowledge and skill to earn some money. You could target your business for beginners or you might want to sell yourself as an expert. Like most businesses, you will need to promote yourself and hustle up customers willing to pay for your services. What stands in your way?

Like Michael, my Uber driver, you could pick up some cash doing something you enjoy in this brave new world.