Betologists Again on Hand for Keeneland Opening

Betologists | Keeneland

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With their green vests and jaunty fedoras, the Keeneland Betologists have quickly become a new tradition at the Lexington oval.

Although their distinctive uniforms might be what initially catch a racegoer's eye, the real purpose of the betologists is to help with education and customer experience, and they will once again be at the ready to help visitors during the spring meet this April.

“We care about the customer,” said Jim Goodman, Keeneland's Director of Mutuels and Simulcasting. “A lot of tracks just don't do fan education, and we need to do more of it. The betologists have been a hit since we started it. Yes, it is the fedora and the vest, but it is also because these guys are so good.”

While betting and horse racing go hand in hand, many newcomers to the track can be overwhelmed by handicapping. That is where the betologists come in, and to make their mission unequivocally clear, each betologist also has a giant “Ask me about betting” button attached to their vest.

“Around 90% of the people who approach us haven't bet before,” said betologist Greg Burke. “We wear the uniform to help get the discussion started, and it works. I often get told, 'I have never bet, and I have never been to the races. Can you show me how to do this so I don't look like an idiot when I go up to the counter?' The answer is `absolutely.'”

Part of the beauty of the program is how much the betologists enjoy what they are doing. The position by its very nature means each one is a people person, and it provides them a chance to meet racegoers from all over the world.

In Burke's case, he was a stay-at-home dad looking for something to do after his children grew up. A Louisville native, he always enjoyed horse racing and decided to see if Keeneland had any openings. The word betologist instantly grabbed his attention.

“One of the first questions I am ever asked-and you can see them formulating the question-is if I get paid to do this, and I get to say yes,” said Burke. “Basically, I get to walk around Keeneland and talk to people about betting. It is just a fun thing to do, and it is a great place to be around.

“I am a big sports person, and I played college football. My son Justin was the quarterback at Louisville and he is coaching at University of South Florida now, so we have always been around sports. Keeneland is my kind of place. This is perfect for me.”

Launched in 2013, the betologist program is built around answering both basic and more complicated questions about wagering, whether someone is looking to walk up to a mutuels teller, use a self-service betting machine, or bet on their phone. Given their approachability and mobility around the track, betologists are also called upon to snap pictures, give directions, and build general goodwill.

“We have a lot of out-of-town guests who might not ever have been to a racetrack before,” said Amy Gregory, Keeneland's Director of Communications. “It is fun and it is beautiful to see the horses, but unless you can participate, you are not getting your full day's experience. We want to give people the ultimate in racing experiences, and these guys are such great ambassadors. They really are the people on the front lines who reach out directly to our customers.

“People are intimidated by handicapping and betting if they haven't been taught to do it, so we are trying to create a very fan-friendly atmosphere. No one wants to look like they don't know what they are doing. Anytime you can give guests some handholding and a little bit of encouragement, then I think you can make a lifetime fan.”

The betologist program originally started with 12 employees, and as positive feedback came from appreciative novices who were eager to learn, the initiative continued to grow. Today, the Keeneland Betologist herd numbers 21, and their ages run the gauntlet from around 20 to 70. On the weekends, all or most of them will be at the track ready to help, and during the week, at least half of them are on hand.

“We germinated the idea, and it really has really grown through the years just because of the popularity,” said Gregory. “Jonathan Fowler was our Keeneland Select coordinator for five years, and when the program was first proposed, he really was the person who took it and built it from the ground up. Now, several tracks around the country are modeling various programs after it because it has turned out to be so worthwhile.”

One thing the program is not, however, is a tipping service.

“We don't tell people what they need to bet,” said Burke. “Whenever they come up and say, 'What do you have in Race 5?' I throw that back to them and ask them who they like.

“What we strive to do is make sure they know who they are betting, what race they are betting, what type of bet they want, and help them feel confident that they are going to get it right when they tell the teller.”

Home base for the betologists is an area called Wagering Central, which is located trackside on Keeneland's 1st floor under the grandstand, but they can always also be found throughout the track and on The Hill, Keeneland's tailgating area.

“It is a very social crowd, and we are very lucky that we have so many young people that come out, especially on the weekends,” said Gregory. “It is nice to give them something to do and get them involved and show them how much fun handicapping can be. We want to make return customers and future fans out of them.”

Most of the people who approach a betologist want to learn the basics, so they start with win/place/show betting. Materials are provided to show them how to read a program and what all of the various statistics mean.

“I would say between 5-10 minutes is a good average of how long we work with people,” said Burke. “Then, they often come back and say, 'Show me some more, I got a taste of this and now I want know more.' We also talk to all ages, and it is usually a 50/50 split between men and women. It is not just the young kids who have never done it before. When they come back and tell you they won, or even just say thank you, it is fun for us.”

Keeneland is aware most of the people taking advantage of the betologists are not going to be wagering large sums of money. However, that does not mean there are not a few risk takers out there.

“I have not gotten an off the wall or crazy question, but I did have someone who bet $100 across the board,” said Burke. “The horse did end up hitting the board, so he was very happy, and so was I.”

 

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