The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-31
WHAT RACING COSTS.

The legal limit of racing in this State,
that is to say, racing with betting-and
il is admitted that without betting there
can be no racing-is from May lotto Oct.
Is. In these five months there are about
1O4 racing DAYS, distributed among five
associations the American, Coney Island,
BROOKLYN and New York Jockey Clubs,
which are in the State, and Monmouth
Park, which, though beyond our Juris-
diction, nevertheless claims large share
of our dates. 1t is estimated that the
average daily attendance at the races IN
the metropolitan circuit Is 5000. For
TRANSPORTATION alone to and from the
tracks these people pay the several rail-
road companies 1926 900 in the season.
OF the total average attendance, 2,OOO
may be classed as deadheads, so far as
admission to the tracks is concerned.
The other 5000 pay their way, and the
sum expended for field grand stand and
paddock badges is in round numbers
100000 OF course no sane race'goer
ever spends an afternoon at the track
without helping the caterer; 80 for beer,
cigars, sandwiches, clam chowders, etc,
let US set down an expenditure OF 20
cents apiece, which rounds up nicely at
the end of the season to $4,000 Thus
we see that the legitimate expenses OF
our little community of race-goers
amount to more than 81 900, 600 in sim
gle season.
No one will question the statement
that these 5000 race-goers go to the race
to bet. They pay 81, 055, 900 for the priv
ilege of backing their Judgment. AT
least 5000 bet every day on every race,
and as So lie the least that will be taken
in the ring, each speculator must be pre-
pared to wager $50 on the six races.
This is the smallest estimate that can be
made. Still, it is no Insignificant sum
in the end, as 1t amounts to nearly $lO,-
900, 900 before the close of the season.
But there are hundreds of men who
never bet less than $50 on race, scores
who bet $500, and few who cannot be-
come interested in contest unless they
have from 81, 900 to $100 on. There
fore it seems entirely safe to say that the
total amount of money distributed in
the betting ring during the five months
of legal racing is at least $50, 900, 900
II this $50, 900, 900 were collected October
10 and carefully counted it is doubtful
if the sum total would be more than
100000 A man wins today and loses
tomorrow. The plunger pays at see
saw; up on Monday, down on Tuesday
up on Wednesday, down on Thursday
and at last down for good. When he
loses his neighbor wins; when he wins
his neighbor loses. Money goes from
hand to hand and pocket to pocket dur
ing the season until it is nearly worn
out with changing before the leaves be-
gin to fall. 1t is a common remark that
race-track money is the tilthiest in the
world.
Do not imagine for moment that the
bookmakers get all this money. POSI-
bly, they do pocket the lions share, but
much of 1t finds its way into the treas
uries of the jockey clubs, all of which
pay handsome dividends, while the rest
is distributed among owners of success
full horses and small handful of sue
cessful bettors. The average number oil
bookmakers doing business in the ring
is eighty. Their expenses are about
$1,000 a day, or 81, 900 season
representing simply what they pay fol
clerk hire and the privilege of milking
the public. Their aggregate incomes
amount to not less than $500, 900 a year
which together with the expenses, max
ing total of $1,944,OO is actually los
by the public.
So, in order to enjoy the pastime Of
racing from year to year, the betting
community is required to make an an
nual outlay of $2,990,0O0. This sum il
absolutely necessary to keep alive thu
jockey clubs and encourage the book
makers to do business. The amount o.
the stakes and purses distributed among
owners of winning horses is about $3.50,
900, but much of this returns to the bet
ting ring, where it is redistributet
among the bookmakers, the clubs ant
the speculative public.-Ne,c York Trt