The 2012 Mohawk meet is set to kick off this Thursday with all the wagers traditionally offered at the Campbellville track. This year, opportunity and choice will be the themes for both core horseplayer and casual fan

.

First up? Since the $50,000 guaranteed pool on the early Pick-4 (races 4-7) has been a success at Woodbine, Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) has extended the $50k offer to the late Pick-4, traditionally the last four races on the Harness card, beginning Thursday.

“We’ve seen some real growth in wagering in our Pick-4 pools and felt that offering the same guarantee on the late Pick-4 will further support that positive momentum,” said Sean Pinsonneault, WEG’s chief operating officer. “The $50k guarantee has become a real attention getter in the industry and allows the core player to bet with confidence, knowing there will be significant money in the pool.”

Another key success factor in the growth of WEG’s Pick-4 pools has been the 20-cent minimum base bet, so the rolling Pick 3’s will now be offered with the same 20-cent option on both WEG’s live Standardbred and Thoroughbred cards as of Thursday.

The Pick-3 and Pick-4 asks fans to pick winners of three and four consecutive races, respectively.

Also, customers of both breeds can now wager just $1 for a single ticket on WEG’s core menu of betting offers, Win/Place/Show, Exactor, Triactor and Daily Double. Customers will also be able to wager just 20 cents for a single ticket on the Superfecta, Pick-3 and Pick-4 pools. Many of these wagers required multiple combinations to use those minimums and that is no longer required.

“This is about customer choice,” said Pinsonneault. “Fans can certainly play the races at the traditional base bet amounts, but these new features cater to entry level players and those that just want more flexibility with their wagering bankroll.”

As of Thursday, more Superfectas, another popular wager, will be added to the Standardbred program and will be available from Race 5 through the end of the card.

Many local area core racing fans are still wondering about the status of fractional betting on U.S. racing.

“After considerable efforts, the ability to bet in fractional amounts (20 cent increments – minimum available in Canada) on U.S. racing is very near, but the final steps are now out of our control, as we are waiting for American host tracks to complete the necessary updates to their systems,” said Pinsonneault. “The concept is very important to our customers and we expect to have more news on this in the coming months.”

(WEG)