It Begins: Major Media Starts to Report on Playersboycott.org

Today the San Diego Union-Tribune, California's second oldest newspaper with a reported Thursday to Sunday 300,000 person circulation, reported on the Players Boycott of California racing in a detailed story published online.

In the article, "Group calls for betting boycott of California horse racing", by Ed Zieralski, HANA's California representative Roger Way and HANA President Jeff Platt share their vision for what they think California racing must do to finally grow.

"Horseplayers have been kicked around long enough," said Jeff Platt, president of the Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA), "The California Horse Racing Board approved the takeout increase figuring that players would just complain and go along like sheep. But, partly thanks to word of mouth and partly to players who are willing to stand up for what they believe in, handle has dropped precipitously at Santa Anita so far this meet, while handle at several other tracks has been up."

Santa Anita President George Haines: "Haines didn’t want to comment on the boycott, saying the California horse racing industry is going to have an official spokesman on the betting takeout matter and other issues. “We’re supposed to have an industry spokesman and a committee is working on that”

Players Boycott.org said the goals (partly) are:

"In addition to demanding the CHRB end the takeout increase, Players Boycott also proposes a new "Gambling Board" to advise the CHRB on all gambling related matters such as new bets, takeout rates and scratch rules. Organizers see this board including an economist, a track official, and a player representative. They don’t believe the present CHRB members understand gaming issues because they wouldn’t have raised takeout percentages if they did.

“Players Boycott believes that experts should be the ones making gambling-related policy for thoroughbred racing in California,” Platt said."

For more on Playersboycott.org and to add your name to their growing list, please click here. Change in California horse racing that can grow it, not continue to shrink it, starts with you. For those of you who have emailed asking why the racing press has not picked up on this story, we don't know, however the largest paper in San Diego has and we thank them for reporting on this very important issue.