Sunday Racing At Caymanas Park- Challenges and Opportunities

The recent introduction of Sunday Racing at the fifty years old Caymanas Park, is significant not only because it represented a radical break with the tradition left behind in the English Speaking Caribbean by the British but also because it reflects the existence at that track of a management team that is willing to test new ideas and to break with establish traditions in the interests of the well being of the interests of the racing industry and those who it employees. While congratulating the Chris Armond led team, for the braving the storms of criticisms and doubters and putting on a “show” which pulled noless than 1700 punters and spectators to the track on Sunday 29th. November 2009; the failure to break even and the failure of the OTBs and the Bookmakers to obtain permission to sell bets on Sundays from the relevant state agencies, represents a new set of challenges. In short Caymanas Park found itself producing a product which owing to existing laws it could not sell though its agents , at the same time as it produced a children entertainment package which nobody knew about.

There are three options facing the management of Caymanas Park Ltd. at this point in time:-

1. Leave things as they are and let the opportunities go by.2. Fight to change existing laws a course of action which plays directly into the

hands of the Holy Few Lobby, or 3. Use the advances in technology to overcome the current challenges and recover

market share.

The advent of Sunday Racing comes at a time when considerable efforts are being made by all stakeholders to chart a course leading to the modernization of the Caymanas Track and its offering. Within this context and in partnership with the private sector the challenges faced in creating the channels which would allow punters to place their bets on any day of the week, including Sundays, can be solved. For example by using the very same routine as used when adding credits to a pre-paid cellular phone or as used with the automated directory system used by business firms, could be easily be used to facilitate telephone betting., here the challenge is not one of a technological nature, but rather a challenge of finding suitable partners. The usage of this type of account betting in combination with a “Direct Sales” approach where-in the individual race cards are sent as messages to the prospective punter’s cell phone, along with results from the last race , which is followed up by a short call from a sales agent, Has the potential of pushing up in a significant manner betting sales while pushing out the illegal bookmaker. Here the law is not challenged in any form or direction, since no new physical betting facilities have been established.

Equally, the laws of the land does not forbid the promoter of racing Caymanas Track Ltd. from entering into partnership with the providers of gaming services such as Supreme Ventures with the view of sales services. There is no logical reason why a Lotto sales station cannot sell bets on given races, equally as there are no logical reasons why an OTB cannot sell Lotto tickets, Pick 3 or whatever. The constraints are in the main , constraints of the mind, constraints of attitude, for too long gaming as been seen as being

a competitor to betting, rather than as possible compliments in demand, the punter also purchases Lotto tickets-both are parts of his or her entertainment package- he or she loves catching the Chiny Man and Catching the horse. Co-sales would be of mutual benefits for both parties as it multiplies distribution points, increases location rent at a relatively low cost.

Most punters are also occasional drinkers and a punter with a program in hand is more likely to wager than a punter without a program. This reality creates the basis for partnership between distributors of beers and other bar supplies to distribute also race programs. The distribution of free race programs at bars , clubs etc, creates a potential advertising medium for producers of goods or services, encourages constructive conversations in these venues while informing the punter about the track offering at the upcoming meet.

A major challenge facing the Caymanas Track ltd. is that of reaching the rural punter with its Sunday Race offering, yet the opportunities exist of using a combination of cell phone betting in combination, with big screen television and donkey racing (an unregulated activity) to reach the rural punter. Donkey racing in the minor towns are crowd pulling activities, with owners competition against owners, villages against villages, roads against roads, punters and potential punters all. The question here is that of identifying suitable partners at the town level who are willing to become promoters of donkey racing and sales agents for Cymanas Track ltd-. Caymanas Park involvement in this type of venture would take three forms (1) training potential small town promoters of donkey racing (2) providing the large screen television and (3) providing the cards for cell phone betting if ordinary cell phone credit cards are not used. The small town promoter working with town based business provides local purses.

At Caymanas Park

For a non-betting person, Caymanas Park is very boring, boring to the extreme;. there is nothing to do. Part of making racing a family venture is that of ensuring that each member of the family is able to find something at the track which holds his or her attention. If a Born Again, Tongue Speaking, Spirit Filled –Christian was by chance find him or herself at the track , what is there for that person to do , outside of trying to convert the punters or starting a sermon in the stands? If my thirteen years old daughter was to accompany me to the track, what is there outside of the veterinarian’s office to hold her interest?Should a punter carry his or her four months old child to the track, where would he or she leave her? Is there a nursery or kinder garden anywhere on the property, where this punter can be assured that his or her young child is properly taken care of? Is there anywhere on the track where my twenty one years old nephew can carry his girl friend/s and have an enjoyable evening without having to wager ? With the new industrial complex (park) planned by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in the pipeline, are there any plans to meet the lunch time needs of the managerial and administrative staff of these ventures? Can they come to the park and

have lunch? Are there any facilities at the park which they will be able to use for their staff functions and or seminars?

Sunday Racing has opened to the fifty years old Caymanas Track a world of opportunities, the question is whether they will hold on to these opportunities with both hands or will they sit back and blame everybody else for the challenges they face. The future of Caymanas Track ltd is one of partnerships, many and varied, partnership between the state and the private sector, between the park and its punters-urban and rural.

Basil Fletcher