On Monday, June 1, the Standardbred Alliance announced that a rotating Jackpot Hi-5 wager will be held between Grand River Raceway and Georgian Downs.
Beginning with Grand River’s opening card this evening (June 1), a Jackpot Hi-5 wager will be offered on the final race of the night. If there are multiple winning tickets, half of the pool will be carried over to the Jackpot Hi-5 wager on the final race Tuesday night at Georgian Downs.
The Jackpot Hi-5 carryover will then alternate between both tracks until a single-winning ticket correctly hits the Jackpot Hi-5 or a mandatory payout evening is announced.
The Jackpot Hi-5 wager has rapidly grown in popularity throughout the Ontario racing scene since being added to the Woodbine Entertainment Group wagering menu in October of 2013.
The Jackpot Hi-5 wager requires a horseplayer to correctly select the top-five finishers in order. If there are multiple winning tickets, 50 per cent of that evening’s pool is split among the winning tickets, while the other half is carried over to the following card.
In order to take home the entire Jackpot, there must be only a single-winning ticket to correctly select the top-five finishers in order.
A special mandatory payout night can be announced, in which the entire carryover is split among the evening’s winning tickets.
The mandatory Jackpot Hi-5 payout night has been responsible for several of the largest handles in the history of Standardbred racing at the Woodbine Entertainment Group.
Most recently, a mandatory payout on a Jackpot Hi-5 carryover of $847,000 led to a record $2.5 million in new money being wagered into the pool on Saturday, April 4 at Woodbine. Following takeout, more than $3 million was paid out to horseplayers.
The new rotating Jackpot Hi-5 at Grand River Raceway and Georgian Downs will offer a 20-cent minimum wager and a takeout of 15 per cent.
The wager will be offered on each night of live racing at both tracks.
Grand River Raceway will offer live racing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the end of September. Live racing will be conducted at Georgian Downs every Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday until the end of August.
First-race post time for each card of live racing at Grand River Raceway is 6:30 p.m., while post time at Georgian Downs is 6 p.m. on Sundays and 7:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
(WEG)
I agree with the well spoken
I agree with the well spoken Barry F. While this seems like a good attempt to add interest to other tracks in the alliance it does not bode well for interest in the bet itself. True gamblers like a relatively high level of consistency (% take out, drivers, track, and to a lesser extent, horses that you see weekly) with an element of chance. I would never get excited about a Hi-5 at Grand River because I never bet the track and I don't know the horses or the drivers... and the race, 95% of the time (arbitrary percentage) is determined at the half way point. Furthermore, I would be disgruntled knowing that a guaranteed pay-out of the hi-5 would be determined at a track that I don't ever bet when I had been investing money in the pool (ie...losing) at a track I bet regularly. All that being said, I bet Meadowlands, and WEG exclusively and maybe Thunder Ridge (because I like those tight turns) because at the top of the stretch 80% of the field has a fighting chance to hit the top 5. The other tracks don't provide that for a Hi-5 bet.
Racing is handicapping, not a
Racing is handicapping, not a lottery. I have no problem with a small carryover, but those who pic a winning Hi5, deserve to be rewarded accordingly.
I agree. I've only bet the
I agree. I've only bet the WEG, jackpot-variety one on the mandatory payout nights. I much prefer it at tracks where they give back 85 percent every night instead of 42.5 percent.
Was looking forward to the
Was looking forward to the Hi5, but now that it's the jackpot variety (worst bet in all of racing), count me out.