...aaaand, they're off!

I've always been enamored with horse racing... anything with numbers has interested me. Service Electric in Wilkes-Barre started carrying the live races from Penn National sometime around 1984... I remember watching the races almost every night. Then, Service Electric started carrying Philadelphia Park races in 1987.

I was fascinated by the speed of the horse and all the odds... and at one point trying to figure out exact odds... but never realizing how much the government took out of all payouts.

Horse racing in PA was in the doldrums in the mid-to-late 90s... everybody was spending their money at tracks out of states, especially those that had slot machines, like Charles Town in West Virginia and Delaware Park.

Well, the track is a fun place to be at again... casinos have opened at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Philadelphia Park. The new casino at Penn National opens next year. In fact, two new tracks are open, Harrah's Chester Downs and Presque Isle Downs in Erie.

I haven't been to any of the racinos (racetrack casinos) yet, but I'm willing to wait... the Pocono and Philly slot rooms are temporary, until new facilities are built for just the slot parlors. Will I still go to Atlantic City? Probably. Will I still go to Charles Town? Probably. Will I lose my shirt? Never... I never spend more than $100 at a time... at least while gas is as high as it is.

I'm heading up to Turning Stone in NY this summer, and will probably go to a few of the small tracks up there, like Batavia Downs, Tioga Downs, and Buffalo Raceway... I'd love to go to Saratoga sometime this year too... I'll keep you posted.

Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS