Indiana Grand Adjusts Race Dates, Off-Turf Wagering Rules, Cuts Pick 4 Takeout

Several changes for the upcoming 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino were approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission at its Tuesday meeting regarding race dates and wagering and takeout rules. Indiana Grand was initially set to hold live racing Saturday, May 1 during GI Kentucky Derby Day. However, due to uncertainty directly related to COVID-19, a request was submitted to the IHRC to reallocate that date to Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, which will become closing day for the 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand.

The IHRC also approved a rule change that dictates races taken off the turf once the wagering pools have closed for the Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 will now become “all” wagers. The Pick 6 will now become a scenario where “all” horses in that race will be considered a winner. Formerly, when a horse scratched from a race taken off the turf after the close of the wagering pools, the customer was given a substitute of the post time favorite.

Indiana Grand introduced a lower takeout for the Pick 5 in 2020 at 11.99%, which remains in effect. In addition, the IHRC approved a reduced takeout for the Pick 4 along with the Pick 6 Jackpot wagers to 15% beginning in 2021.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance our betting platforms and with the growing popularity of our multiple-race wagers, and we felt a reduced takeout on these two wagers would be very attractive to our racing customers,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “We've seen a tremendous increase in interest in these types of wagers at Indiana Grand and are excited to make them a better value for our fan base.”

Live racing returns to Indiana Grand Tuesday, Apr. 13. Racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. ET Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m.

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Pari-Mutuel Rules, Race Dates Adjusted At Indiana Grand

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) met Tuesday, March 2 and approved several changes for the upcoming 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

Indiana Grand was initially set to hold live racing Saturday, May 1 during Kentucky Derby Day. However, due to uncertainty directly related to COVID-19, a request was submitted to the IHRC to reallocate that date to Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, which will become closing day for the 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. The IHRC approved the change on the calendar for the 120-day racing season in 2021.

“Along with our horsemen, we thought it was in the best interest of all parties to move our scheduled racing day on May 1 (Kentucky Derby Day),” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “There is a strong likelihood that crowd capacity will still be limited at that time and live racing would only increase issues with safety protocols and potential wait times to enter the facility. We want to provide the best possible on-track experience for guests coming in for the simulcast of the Kentucky Derby and a reduction of activities on that day will alleviate some potential obstacles.”

In addition to the date change, the IHRC also approved amendments to current rules for pari-mutuel racing. Races taken off the turf once the wagering pools have closed for the Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 will now become “all” wagers. The Pick 6 will now become a scenario where “all” horses in that race will be considered a winner. Formerly when a horse scratched from a race taken off the turf after the close of the wagering pools, the customer was given a substitute of the post time favorite.

Indiana Grand introduced a lower takeout for the Pick 5 in 2020 at 11.99 percent, which remains in effect. In addition, the IHRC approved a reduced takeout for the Pick 4 along with the Pick 6 Jackpot wagers to 15 percent beginning in 2021.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance our betting platforms and with the growing popularity of our multiple-race wagers, we felt a reduced takeout on these two wagers would be very attractive to our racing customers,” added Halstrom. “We've seen a tremendous increase in interest in these types of wagers at Indiana Grand and are excited to make them a better value for our fan base.”

Live racing returns to Indiana Grand Tuesday, April 13 and extends through Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. In addition, six all-Quarter Horse racing dates are set on select Saturdays starting June 5 at 10 a.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30 beginning at 12 p.m. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.indianagrand.com.

The post Pari-Mutuel Rules, Race Dates Adjusted At Indiana Grand appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mahoning Valley Adds 50-Cent Pick 5 With 15 Percent Takeout To Wagering Menu

Beginning with its live racing program on Monday, Feb. 22, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Youngstown, Ohio will begin offering to customers a Pick 5 with a low takeout rate of 15 percent which will cover the first five races on the card.

The new Pick 5 will be offered with a 50-cent minimum. Should no customer correctly select all five winners, 50 percent of the net pool will be carried over to the next live racing program and 50 percent will be paid out to those selecting the greatest number of winners in the sequence.

The 20-cent minimum Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6 carryover currently sits at $18,895 and will next be up for grabs this Saturday, Feb. 20. The wager was last hit to the tune of $109,311 on Feb. 13. In addition to the Pick 5 and Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6, Mahoning Valley offers a Pick 3 and Pick 4, both carrying a low takeout of 15 percent.

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course races Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with a first race post time of 12:45 and Saturday with a first race post time of 12:15. The current race meet ends on Saturday, April 17.

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Meadowlands’ Handle Exceeds $7 Million For Third Straight Weekend

Last weekend (Feb. 12-13) was the third straight that saw total handle exceed the $7-million plateau at The Meadowlands – a lofty level reached three times during all of 2020 – and much of the recent wild wagering at the mile oval is due to the popularity of the track's low 15 percent takeout bets.

The Big M has seen great results since changing the Hi-5/Pentafecta format. Formerly, it was a 20-cent base with a 'jackpot', meaning it paid out only when there was one winning ticket. The response has been vigorous since management changed it to a 10-cent base that pays out on all winning tickets.

Through Feb. 12, the updated Hi-5 was averaging $31,794 per pool, compared to $8,807 over the same period a year ago. Much like the superfecta more than a decade ago, lowering the minimum to 10 cents has given the bet a new lease on life, as the average payoff during 2021 is $1,535. On Feb. 6, a rare Hi-5 carryover resulted in a total pool of $79,254, which led to a payout of $10,094.

Another wager that has been performing at a high level is the 20-cent Pick-5 – the track's most popular puzzle in terms of average pool – which is currently seeing $105,977 a night, almost double what the action was a year ago ($56,331). Thus far in 2021, the P5 average payout has been $2,989. The bet serves as a catalyst for the first race, which saw $367,134 of wagering Saturday, and has been averaging over $300,000 a night thus far this year.

The Big M's signature wager – the 50-cent Pick-4 – gives bettors two chances to make a score every live racing night. The Early P4 has averaged $94,294 per pool and the Late P4 has seen $90,586 a throw. Players of all kinds got to cash in last Saturday. The Early Pick returned $17,959.80 after 20-1 shots served as winning bookends, while the Late Pick came back $78.55 after two favorites, one 5-2 and one 3-1 scored during that extremely formful sequence.

The Pick-5 is not the only wager that has come up roses with a new twist. The Pick-6 is not a jackpot bet, so the low 20-cent minimum has made the P6 playable even when there is no carryover. During 2021, the average pool has been $14,581, leading to a payoff of $3,831.

The last of The Big M's 'Super Six' wagers that offer the low 15 per cent takeout is the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7, which has a mandatory payout every night. It is another bet that generates some big payouts, as the average return of $3,846 proves.

The lineup of The Meadowlands' 15 percent takeout wagers:

· Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5

· Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7

· Race 6: 50-cent Early Pick-4

· Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6

· Race 10: 50-cent Late Pick-4

· Race 15 (or final race): 10-cent Hi-5/Pentafecta

“Wagering last week was over $7 million,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Which was up $2.36 million from the same two nights last year. What we are seeing is that low take outs and low minimums help to keep The Meadowlands horseplayer in action longer.

“If the player can stay in action, they are capable of making a score on any number of our wagers that are generating big payoffs. In any successful gambling business, customer satisfaction is the name of the game. Judging by our 2021 results, where we have seen handle exceed $3 million on five consecutive programs, we can reasonably assume that the customer thinks The Meadowlands is providing an excellent and improved product.”

THE SCHEDULE: Live racing at The Meadowlands takes place every Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6 p.m.

The track's live “Racing from the Meadowlands” pre-game show begins at 5:27 p.m.

FREE PPs FOR ALL: Thanks to an agreement between The Meadowlands and TrackMaster, past performances for every race of every Big M program are now available at no cost.

To access the free PPs, go to playmeadowlands.com.

GET SOCIAL: 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), Shades Demsky (@shadesonracing) and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1).

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

CHECK OUT THE PICKS: For those who need to get a leg up on the action, go to playmeadowlands.com to see track oddsmaker and analyst Brower's selections and commentary. Click on the “handicapping” tab and go to “race reviews”.

Brower's input is generally available 48 hours before every card.

Additionally, track announcer Warkentin's blog is available on the site and offers his picks and analysis.

GET YOUR SPORTS ACTION: Pro and college sports betting is available at The Meadowlands' FanDuel Sportsbook every day.

Bets can be placed on the NBA, NHL, college basketball and many other sports any time the wagering windows are open.

The sportsbook is open Sunday-Friday from 10 a.m.-midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. The cash counter is open from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

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