Here are some facts:
1) Hamilton had doubles games last year
...and this was during all other frontons going on! The move to
singles was strictly financial because there were plenty of players
on the market last summer
2) They were supposed to simulcast
That is what Richards told Jody and Bill from Jai-Alai USA. They
didn't, and lost the opportunity for the pools to get some grease
from bettors who were looking for something different than Dania
or Miami
3) The fronton has had a year's worth of declining handles...
Everything else may be doing OK, but virtually nobody watched
or wagered on the live material. Why would anyone?
4) It's no different than Fort Pierce....
Fort Pierce fans have gotten gypped...but they have a fan base
that is going to take a few years to thin out to Florida gaming's
liking. At least they have 8-player games?
5) It's no different than Ocala...
Ocala is in an area not unlike Hamilton, and they still draw more
than 5-10 people to watch the live show.
Jody is NOT a negative person...but when you see how much they've
cut corners, the place is now in a spiral it can't get out of.
I said it so many times 2 years ago: If they put out a strong
signal with unique camera angles, they could have secured a good
part of the simulcast pie without even having a world-class roster!
Now, you have a live performance that doesn't last 2 hours with
6-man singles games.
Unless something changes in the near future, I have no choice
but to tip my hat to Bada-Bing and how he said that there were
ulterior motives from the start.
I wanted this to succeed and still do--but the odds of it right
now are now probably about the same as if Javier and Moreno went
down to the Citrus last week and won it.
