Monmouth Park racetrack hasn’t had much luck trying to bring sports betting to New Jersey, but it did have a good start to its summer meet.
About 47,126 patrons went to the park over the weekend, up 10.9 percent from a year ago. Attendance was buoyed by a food truck festival, which track officials hope will create some new racing fans.
Total handle, which includes the amount wagered on Monmouth Park’s races at the track and elsewhere, was $9,431,621, an increase of 11.3 percent. Driving that number was a 12.1 percent rise in off-track handle, while on-track handle rose by 7.2 percent, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“Don’t tell me that Monmouth Park is dead, because it’s not,” said Bob Kulina, president of Darby Development LLC, which operates the track. “Monmouth Park can still draw big crowds. Do we want the quality of racing to be better? Of course we do, but that’s an easy fix if we get the tools we need from Trenton.”
New Jersey racing was formerly subsidized by Atlantic City casino revenue, but that ended under current governor Chris Christie.
Track officials told the paper they hope to build momentum for Father’s Day and Haskell Day on July 30, the track’s two biggest days of the year, by drawing in casual fans with compelling horses and personalities.
