by Michael Antoniades, for Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — On the heels of a very successful Southland Festival of Racing, Balmoral Park recently released figures that show the popularity of its Pick 4 wager continues to grow.

The Pick 4 takeout was reduced by 40 percent for the 2010 season. The industry low takeout of 15 percent, which was instituted in 2010, has made a big difference.

When racing began in 2010, the January Pick 4 pools averaged $7,698. As word spread that Balmoral had reduced the takeout, bettors throughout the country responded. In February the average pool size rose to $10,277. Just two months later, the April Pick 4 pool was averaging over $11,000 a night. Three months later, the results are pretty compelling.

The July Pick 4 pools at Balmoral totaled $212,641 for the 13 nights of live racing, averaging $16,357 per card. In 2009 with the higher takeout, Pick 4 pools averaged $8,888. The average 2010 July Pick 4 pools were 84 percent higher with the lower takeout than the July 2009 pools.

The average 2010 race in the Pick 4 sequence handled $92,410 in July, a sizable increase over 2009.

Because of the favorable change for the player, every winning Pick 4 wager now receives 13.3 percent more than in 2009.

The Pick 4 is contested on races 7 through 10 nightly. The minimum wager is $1.

Remember on August 14, as part of the Back To The Track promotion going on throughout North America, there will be a $50,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pool with a 15 percent takeout. Balmoral Park will be a part of that Pick 4 sequence.

Old Payout-New Payout-Added Winnings
$100-$113-$13
$200-$226-$26
$400-$453-$53
$600-$680-$80
$800-$906-$106
$1,000-$1,133-$133
$2,500-$2,833-$333
$5,000-$5,666-$666
$10,000-$11,333-$1,333
$15,000-$17,000-$2,000
$20,000-$22,666-$2,666

The 10 cent Super High Five had a record payoff of $15,080.68 on Saturday, July 31. This is the only 10 cent High 5 wager available in racing.