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Since Monmouth was mentioned, while it's been run great at times and terribly at others, they've tried a bunch of different things over the years to stave off the decline. They had massive purses one year and at times the casinos or the state have boosted purses to some degree. They've promoted weekend events and food truck festivals. Haskell Day is the one day they've successfully established as an "event" that still draws big crowds. And to management's credit, for the summer of 2023 Monmouth's handle went up 11% from 2022. But I think other than Haskell Day and Father's Day, huge crowds are not coming back to see live racing.
It's just that there is SO MUCH else to do at or near the beach in the summer, and now there are so many other more appealing forms of gambling. I don't think there's a simple solution to make crowds return to Monmouth or most other racetracks. Except for a half-dozen places, it's just not enough a part of the local culture (for those under 80) to be "a thing to do" for the casual fan.
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