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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Henry Kissinger Can Help Racing




Any system produces winners and losers. If the gap between them gets too great, the losers will organize themselves politically and seek to recast the existing system... -- Henry Kissinger, in The Economist


When you think about it, this quote by Henry Kissinger seems to apply to the racing industry.

The industry today consists of systems where too many parties are losing and too few are winning. The many parties who are falling behind are attempting to organize and recast the existing system in order to increase their revenues. While this could be at the expense of other parties, advertently or inadvertently, the challenge for all parties is that handle is down. So it seems like a dubious notion that grabbing a larger share of a shrinking pie is the path to salvation for the industry.

It also seems unlikely that losing parties could become winners and remain winners by trying to organize and recast the system at the expense of other troubled parties.

A better strategy would be to strive to devise a Win-Win strategy whereby all parties cooperate to formulate solutions that can be employed to fight against the external forces that are negatively affecting the industry. Symbiosis has benefits to all concerned.

HANA formed because Horseplayers did not have a unified voice. One of HANA's goals is to find ways to grow handle. Handle growth will benefit all parties in the industry. Growing handle requires cooperation among everyone. If handle is not growing then it is shrinking. If it is shrinking then the industry is dying and all the organizing in the world and recasting of systems among losing parties will not be enough to revive the industry.

Please consider joining Horseplayers Association of North America and help revive the racing industy. It only takes a moment and it is free!

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