[For The Lead]

It's not enough to just attract new players to horse racing. You have to attract YOUNG players.

I never thought much about that until about 10 years ago. That's when my son was old enough to be in a RACE AND SPORTS BOOK here in Las Vegas.

You have to understand the race and sports books are side by side in one open area. You can sit in one and watch the other.

After being in the race and sports book every single day for about a month, my son noted that horse racing was "an old guys game". He noticed that the people in the race book area were older men, while people in the sports book area were young men. I had never paid any attention to that, but he was right. In the ten years since he first called my attention to it, I have to say he was absolutely correct.

Forget about a day when young people outnumber old people in the race book. THAT never happens on any day. There isn't even a day when the number of young people equal the number of old people, or even come close.

Racing needs to find a way to attract young players. If they don't, who is going to be wagering on races when the old people are dead and gone!