Bob Carson

If you are a casual harness horseplayer, the takeout of the pari-mutuel wager is annoying but it is not a deal breaker. If you are a serious handicapper, each tiny sliver of the takeout pie is a big deal, a very big deal. Harness racing loses a lot of money via outlets or other sports where the price to play is not as high.

Here is a radical idea to circumvent the takeout problem. This plan is a brilliant theoretical proposal available for immediate implementation. The vexing leap between theory and practice has kept me tethered to my taxicab for a few decades — but I will use the time between fares to introduce this revolutionary premise that could help awaken our slumbering sport.

Let us start with two facts:

1. People have always enjoyed gambling. Cro-Magnon men whiled away eons betting the over and under on issues like the number of mastodons that would stampede over the rim of the cliff before sunset. Wagering in this era was difficult because the ATM machine and photo finish were several million years in the future. Methods may have changed, but Thor and Ugh were betting the pachyderm pick three. It’s in our genes.

2. Today, humans have a multitude of ways to wager money. Lotteries, slot machines, blackjack, poker, bingo, the stock market, internet gaming, horse racing, dog racing, betting on football, betting on baseball, soccer, basketball, bookies, Maj Jong and lawn bowling are among a few wagering opportunities that spring to mind. I have invested in them all. Because of these investments, the generous tip from my latest fare is the sum of my portfolio.

Now that we have agreed that people will gamble and therefore will be looking for things to gamble upon, the solution to the decay of horse racing is simple. Make horse racing a more attractive wagering opportunity. Then, convince the multitudes of men and women wishing to gamble that they would be wise to invest in horse racing.

Here is a concept to assist our efforts at proving that horse racing is a good bet — eliminate the dreaded takeout on pari-mutuel wagering for one race on each program. It is very important that which race will be takeout-free remains a mystery.

Follow me.

Racing patrons bet on race number one. All is normal. The race is run and the tote board flashes the payouts for the race. This scenario has happened for as long as pari-mutuel wagering has existed; the winners smile and the losers complain and blame their losing wager on everything from solar warming to illegal drugs to cheating personnel to the exchange ratio in China.

Here is the twist. Once each night, just prior to the tote board flashing the expected payoff, a loud siren will sound, lights will flash and the payoff will be recalculated. The siren and the flashing signify that this is the race where 100 percent of the wagered money will return to the winners. The payoff for the winners on this race will be much more than anticipated.

If the siren does not sound, the losers will be happy (well, a little happy) because they were, after all, losers. Since the siren did not sound, it is still available to go off when they are holding a winning ticket later in the program. Either way, siren or no siren, winners and losers have something to be happy about.

At this point it is possible that several gamblers are perking up. However, racetrack operators and state coffers are asking how this can help them. The answer is increased interest, which equals increased revenue.

You see, each time the siren does not sound, the odds of a future takeout-free race increase. If the siren has not been sounded by the seventh or eighth race, all the gamblers, whales and minnows, will start to realize they stand a good chance of having a very nice payoff if they can pick the winning race on this card that will be take-out free. By the ninth or tenth race without the siren, serious gamblers would be frantic to get a bet down. The last few races before the siren should be bet extremely heavily, enough to cover the lost takeout money on the single takeout-free race. This escalating tension is important in all forms of entertainment and sports.

This concept would give handicappers who love a challenge another level of statistics and numbers to track. Consider the angles. Maybe at your racetrack the takeout-free race has not been the fourth race for over two months. To many, this means the fourth race is due to hit as the takeout-free race and should be heavily wagered. Also, astute handicappers would realize that when a race card comes down to the last three races, the race with the large payoff is near and they would factor this into their equations and bet accordingly. This new angle would perk up the old betting patterns.

This unique betting twist would give bettors, both old and new, a new slant on the old harness game. The details may need some ironing out, but I have a fare waiting so my work is done.