Props, micro bets - a shot in the arm for harness racing?

As most of us know, the sport of standardbred racing has seen an erosion in many areas from number of tracks operating to short fields and new participation in terms of the fan base and ownership.

As one track use to advertise, “Every 20 MINUTES the place goes crazy!”

In today’s world, that’s not good enough anymore, especially when casinos can counter that with “your next jackpot might be THREE SECONDS away!”

We’ve seen many bright spots this year, as well, as the Kentucky program is alive and well and kicking up its hooves big time with purses soaring and handle more than doubling from last year’s meeting.

So, besides laying the groundwork for more youth participation in terms of future vocation in our industry, something has got to materialize to minimize the 20-to-27-minute wait between races at the track. And, if there’s an inquiry or objection in a race, add at least 10 or 12 minutes to that.

Plain and simple, players want faster action that that!

True, if you’re playing multiple tracks on the phone or at home on the computer, one can travel from track-to-track and cut that long wait way down if the tracks can find a way to not step on each other’s hooves in terms of post time.

That’s where prop bets and micro bets come in.

For you devoted fans of racing, a “prop” bet—short for proposition—Is a bet that has to do with the particular incident either happening or not happening that might not affect the final outcome of a particular game or event or, even, season.

It can be on, football, baseball, basketball, golf, boxing and soccer, among others.

Football, for example, offers prop bets on individual games, including total points, margin of victory, passing yardage by the quarterback, running yardage, etc., and many other things that may or may not have any relation to the final outcome of the game.

There are also longer-term prop bets on which player will win the MVP, as well as which quarterback has the most passing yards, most passing touchdowns, most interceptions and dozens and dozens more.

And then there’s the new “micro bet.”

Micro betting is catching on quickly in sports betting and is expected to draw significant wagering dollars in the future as States implement this new form of wagering.

A micro bet offers the bettor to bet on something that is going to happen immediately such as whether a field goal attempt be good or no-good or if the 4th and eight situation results in a first down or if the next play be a running play.

In baseball, it could be as simple as if the next pitch is a ball or strike or which team scores first or is Aaron Judge going to hit a home run in this at-bat!

In other words, it’s an INSTANT gratification wager.

Yes, technology moves faster than Bulldog Hanover (not MUCH faster, tho) and our sport will be left at the gate if nothing is done about it in short order.

There are plenty of prop bets harness racing has to offer including horse performance, driver performance, time, dead-heats, inquiries, who will win major races, etc.

Every single racetrack can offer prop wagers and/or micro wagers with a glaring example being in Ohio, which begins offering sports betting on New Year’s Day next year.

A few examples on prop bets might be on next year’s Hambletonian or Little Brown Jug, with a long list of eligibles offering very appetizing odds.

Why, if something like this was in place a couple of years ago, some baseball fan might have gotten 2,000 to 1 odds on Cool Papa Bell winning the Hambo.

(Heck, 25 years ago, I bet $10 on Colin Powell becoming the next President at 90 to 1 odds and, when the scuttlebutt got out that he may run, I only got 4 to 1 on my next $10 bet!!!!)

Will Aaron Merriman win, say, 900 races this year? Will any driver win $12,000,000 in purse money? Will any horse win 20 pari-mutuel races this year? Who will be the leading driver in 2023 with a list of odds ranging from 3 to 1 to 10,000 to 1.

On any individual racing night, there could be props on driver doubles or triples, whether there will be a dead-heat for win, or a dead-heat for any position, whether there be an inquiry during the racing program, whether there will be ANY quarter during the program under :26 1/2…

There are countless possibilities.

As for the micro bet, there can be individual tracks involved and individual races, as well, with, for example, taking an “Open” event, will the opening quarter be over-under :27 1/2 (we’re safe from pushes with races timed in fifth-of-a-second).

Will the mile be under 1:50 1/2…

Thoughts also came into play about leaders at the first three points of call…but that would require photo finish cameras at those locations (except on a half mile track). After all, has there NEVER EVER been a dead-heat at the quarter, half or three-quarter marks?

We have to have ideas for instant gratification for the player with competition offering that same “high” to their fans.

For you nay-sayers that say it can’t be done…It HAS TO BE DONE!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink