Written by :
Published on :
Despite lower attendance at Pimlico Race Course, betting on the 2009 Preakness Stakes was way up.
More than $59 million was bet, compared with $45 million last year, John B. Franzone, head of the Maryland Racing Commission, stated. Attendance was cut by 30 percent compared to last year, down to 77,850. Much of this was attributed to a ban on spectators bringing their own beverages.
State racing officials deemed the race a financial success for the state.
"Attendance is important to the racetrack," Franzone said. "But as with the whole industry, what drives the industry is the handle," the amount brought in by betting.
Meanwhile, traffic numbers online for the Gambling911.com website were up over last year, though nothing close to the Kentucky Derby two weekends prior.
"We had steady traffic throughout the day on Saturday and our numbers were way up over last year and compared to a normal Saturday during the spring and summer months," Gambling911.com Senior Editor, Payton O'Brien reported.
Just under one million hits were registered.
Traffic numbers were also skewed by a phenomenal number of people visiting the Gambling911.com website during the two days leading up to the 2009 Preakness, much of which was related to Manny Pacquiao fight news. Unique visitors on Friday came in at 89,987.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
