If the first week of December is any indication, Balmoral Park will cap off a stellar 2012 season with sizable gains in business.

The Saturday, December 1 handle of $1,380,892 was $128,107 higher than 2011 and the Sunday, December 2 program handled $1,135,362 versus $954,770 last year, an increase of $180,592. The combined two day weekend handle of $2,516,254 for 24 races was an average of $104,843 per race.

Balmoral payouts and pool sizes are a big reason for that success. Several win pools surpassed $22,000 and the exotic pools were large enough for people to play big numbers. Exacta pools averaged $24,727 and trifecta pools averaged $29,313 . The ten cent wagers were extremely popular this weekend as well. Ten cent superfecta pools averaged $21,926 and the ten cent High Five pool averaged $22,446. The average High Five payout in 2012 is $1,018 for a dime.

Multi-race pools continue to attract big players to the big track. The average Pick Five pool in 2012 is $17,267. The Balmoral Pick Five is a 50 cent minimum wager which allows the player more coverage. The average fifty cent payout this year is $2,517.

The Pick Four continues to do record business thanks to the USTA Strategic Wagering initiative, free program pages courtesy of Track Master and a low 15% takeout. Over $4,500,000 has been wagered on 143 Pick fours in 2012, an average nightly pool of $31,694. The average one dollar payout this year is $2,376.35.

(Balmoral Park)