East Rutherford, NJ — The Meadowlands is popular with players given the half-dozen opportunities they are given nightly to dive into large pools that offer a low takeout of 15 percent. What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is the fact that almost all other Big M wagers have bets that have takeouts of just 17 and 20 percent.

Here are the six wagers that offer the 15 percent takeout, and what their average pools have been during the first three weeks of May:

Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5 ($90,897)
Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($15,408)
Race 6: 50-cent Pick-4 ($119,634)
Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6 ($22,934)
Race 10: 50-cent Pick-4 ($113,522)
Race 13: 10-cent Hi-5/Pentafecta ($33,044)

“We have priced our wagering menu to attract horseplayers from all around the world,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The lower takeouts create more winners, and without winners, there is no game.

“The lower minimums have attracted a new demographic of players who can now bet more combinations and last longer. When you put all those things together, along with fantastic races to wager on every weekend, you get the consistently monstrous handle numbers we have seen during 2021. Last weekend, we extended our streak of consecutive $3 million-handle nights to 16, a record that can be attributed to our top-flight racing, low takeout wagers and an incredibly loyal fan base, for whom we are very appreciative.”

The competitive racing at The Big M always gives players a shot at a score, and thus far in May, score they have, with the Survivor Pick-7 leading the way with an average payoff of $4,529.

The Pick-5 is next, averaging $4,515, followed by the Pick-6 ($3,582), Hi-5/Pentafecta ($1,851), Late Pick-4 ($1,321) and Early Pick-4 ($668).

Across-the-board bettors get a fair shake at The Meadowlands, as win, place and show bets have a 17 percent takeout. Daily Double and Exacta wagers are at 19 percent takeout while Superfectas and Pick-3s have a 20 percent rake.

On Saturday, the Exacta was as popular as ever. Of the $3.7 million in total handle, more than $1 million of that was bet on the Exacta alone, accounting for 28 percent of all wagering on the 14-race card.

Faster, Faster! “We have seen an extraordinary group of fast horses competing during May,” said Settlemoir. “For example, we had 49 races for male pacers this month, and 23 of those went under-1:50.”

Proof of the high-octane horses competing at the mile oval came last Saturday (May 22), when the fastest mile of the year in the sport was equaled by Nicholas Beach, who stopped the clock in 1:47.2 just one week after American History recorded an identical time for the mile.

Get Your Free Programs, Here! Need a program but don’t want to spend any green?

The Big M has you covered, with free programs of every race of every race card. Just go to playmeadowlands.com to get your no-cost past performances.

Get Social, Not Distant: You can always check in with the team at The Meadowlands on Twitter.

For early changes, racing information and staff selections, go to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

On race nights, stay in touch with the Big M’s Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1).

A $100,000 Promise: Every night, The Meadowlands promises big money on both editions of its signature wager, as each 50-cent Pick-4 sports a guaranteed pool of $50,000.

The Schedule: Live racing continues every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

Big M TV’s live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pre-game show, which provides news, notes, features, staff selections and a look at that evening’s marquee races, gets underway at 5:47 p.m.

Fab Friday: The featured action on Friday’s card will be a pair of New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for 3-year-olds on the trot. Each — one for colts and geldings and one for fillies — has a purse of $200,000 and the results figure to reveal top contenders for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks.

Belmont Next Week: One of the biggest days in Thoroughbred racing takes place next week (Saturday, June 5) with the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.

Meadowlands’ fans can wager and then watch the action up close in one the best simulcast facilities in the game at The Big M. Post time for The Belmont Stakes is 6:49 p.m.