Starting Wednesday, March 14, Balmoral Park and the USTA Strategic Wagering Initiative will offer guaranteed pick 4 pools with a low 15% takeout every racing night, beginning with a new $20,000 guarantee every Wednesday

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The Saturday and Sunday guarantees remain $20,000 and $25,000, respectively.

The Balmoral Pick Four popularity is at an all time high thanks to the support of the USTA . Thirty guaranteed pools were offered this year on the one mile oval through March 12. A total of $937,455 was wagered for a nightly average pool of $31,248. The average payout for 2012 is $2,658.47 for a buck.

The guaranteed pools have not only increased the size of the pools, they have been a big factor in sending Balmoral handle through the roof. Through March 12th, five Balmoral programs handled $5,802,377, a 32% increase from the $4,366,416 wagered on the five similar programs in 2011. The nightly average for March is $1,160,475 and the average handle per race is a healthy $103,613.That number is an increase of $25,642 per race versus 2011.

(Balmoral Park)