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.

The 3 C’s of life — Choices, Chances, Changes
You must make a choice to take a chance or life will never change.

Bob Carson

Each harness racing customer views our races, our product, through a different lens.

Many of us purchase a race program for our favorite racetrack and spend an hour or so handicapping. Then we click onto the live stream of our ADW to watch and wager on the races.

Our method of wagering on races is not the same as other customers who follow our sport. Segments of our customers are very serious gamblers. Segments of our customers are not very serious at all. Yet everyone who logs onto an ADW site to watch and wager on harness horse races sees virtually the same thing and they receive the same thing.

Perhaps they should not.

Imagine a world where you select a level of play each time you click on your ADW site to wager on horses. Let’s call them levels A, B, and C.

Your first click is level A. When directed to this screen, not many changes are apparent. This click will take you to the racing screen you are familiar with. There are menus of available tracks, post times, morning line odds, post positions, links to the video feed from the racetracks, wagering pads, etc. Nothing is wrong here, not much new, very utilitarian. Of course, there is room for improvement and for innovation. There always is. However, the harness racing gambling world does not change for those who choose to click level A.

Your next click is level B. This takes gambling customers and visitors to a completely new world, a world where they use our races in completely new ways. This level is primarily fun, with wagers carefully designed to contain just enough decision making to avoid falling into the legally problematic realm of pure chance. At level B, wagering is much less intellectual. Selections are simpler, like odd or even, saddle pad colors, etc. In addition, visitors entering level B are continually entertained. Live time hosts guide visitors through music, trivia, social networking, contests and offbeat information. All sorts of activities happen on this level before you wager on the upcoming race. Every visit to level B is a bit of a party.

Your next click is level C. This click takes gambling customers to another new world. This level is for the very intense, ultra-detailed, serious handicapper. Level C will involve a slight charge for use. Serious gamblers will find it worth the small investment. Level C will have tools that take the serious player to a complex level of information such as current wind directions, temperature drops, complex algorithms, equipment changes, medication changes and dozens of possible angles that most players do not consider or have available.

Behind these clicks, that allow each player to enter at the level of their interest, the sport of harness racing could find gold.

Affiliated businesses could rise. Operation of levels B and C could be startup businesses. If you “put on a show” for the fun players who use the races for the centerpiece, if you can find an audience, you can find ways to monetize. If you create the “go to” place for highly detailed, accurate, useful information for the serious gambler, you can monetize your services. Any substantial plan to increase revenue for ADW platforms will find open ears.

The idea behind varying levels of play is an effort to satisfy the customer. Today, a person who visits an ADW site to wager on harness racing is like a person visiting Walmart to buy a t-shirt and finding all they offer are mediums in the color red. Medium sized red shirts do not fit everybody, nor do they please everybody.

Perhaps the most promising aspect of this idea is that new players may find their way to level B. They can play our races for fun. They can play without conflicting or competing with traditional gamblers. They can enter through a welcoming door where nobody gets in anyone else’s way. The different levels operate on different tracks. All players and all denominations of currency are welcome.

Implementation is often more difficult than conceptualization, but this is true with all new construction. The implementation here does not seem like a heavy lift. Visitors filter themselves into different silos. The capital investment would be small. The data measurement would be simple. The growth potential could be huge if we can mine the earth and reach those players who just want to click and have a good time while risking a few dollars.

The old cliché is, “We just want a level playing field.”

Perhaps the new motto should be, “We just want a level where our customers can play how they want to play.”