MSOA makes report on its marketing endeavors to PA Horse Racing Commission

Harrisburg, PA — The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association in 2023 is hoping to build upon the progress made in recent years in expanding the reach of racing at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows regionally and around the country.

The MSOA works in conjunction with management at The Meadows, particularly on scheduling events throughout the year to build upon live racing attendance and wagering. The MSOA is one of six horsemen’s associations and breeder organizations in the state that devote one percent of casino slot machine revenue to support local marketing plans and the statewide Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association.

In a Jan. 31 report to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission on its marketing endeavors, MSOA marketing consultant Jennifer Miele said the theme for 2023 is “to cast a wider net” in an effort to reach potential racing fans. As part of the marketing plan, the MSOA runs racing-related ads on various sports betting apps given the expansion of online gaming and its audience of people with a propensity to wager, she said.

“In-person events are still very important to raising the visibility of the racetrack in western Pennsylvania,” Miele said, but the challenge remains increasing handle during special events at The Meadows and on regular racing days throughout the year. “How are we going to convert these people?”

The MSOA recently hired Tasha McCormick, a longtime Meadows employee with 25 years experience on the racing and casino side, to serve as marketing director effective in early February. One of McCormick’s projects will be working with the racetrack on an improved loyalty rewards program with tie-ins to the Standardbred racing product.

Miele said there was a nine percent increase in social media followers in 2022, and that PHRA representatives are a big part of staffing major events at The Meadows. She also said the about five-hour live stream of Adios Day, which began in 2020 during COVID-19 restrictions that greatly limited attendance, will continue in 2023; Adios Day wagering in 2022 was up about 25 percent from 2021.

McCormick replaces Dawnelle Mock, who joined the PHRA team last summer.

MSOA executive director Kim Hankins, in response to a question during the PHRC meeting, said the organization has close ties to the Pennsylvania fair circuit but that there could be more MSOA outreach at the fairs to encourage people at the regional fairs to attend live racing at The Meadows.

Scott Lishia, director of racing at The Meadows, in his report said pari-mutuel handle on the live product in January 2023 was up about 75 percent from the corresponding period in 2022. He noted there were 36 more races this year as a result of last year’s purse increases and an effort to attract some new stock to race locally.

“It’s all very promising, and hopefully it continues to build and grow this year,” Lishia said.

In other Standardbred racing business at the meeting, Mohegan Sun Pocono received approval to change its Sunday first post time to 1 p.m. in February and March and to 6 p.m. from April through August. There is no Sunday racing scheduled from September through the end of the meet, which begins Saturday (Feb. 18), with a 1 p.m. first post.

Tom Chuckas, PHRC Thoroughbred bureau director, said that in 2022 the commission conducted 1,088 out-of-competition drug tests at racetracks and training centers — 549 for Standardbred racing and 539 for Thoroughbred racing. The first 10 months of the PHRC integrity hotline launched in March 2022 generated 115 calls (30 Standardbred and 85 Thoroughbred), with 99 of the cases closed and 16 still outstanding, he said.

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