Lower takeout rates at The Downs

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono announced major changes to their takeout rates, all of which are firmly in favor of the bettor. Pocono’s Director of Racing & Sportsbook Operations Mike Zullinger confirmed the changes, which will go into effect on April 1. The track’s next live racing card comes up on Saturday, April 3.

Here are the affected wagers and the takeout reductions:

Win, place and show: Down from 19% to 17%

Trifecta, superfecta: Down from 30% to 26%

Pick 3, Pick 4: Down from 25% to 20%

Only the Rainbow Pick 5 (15% takeout) and the Exacta and Daily Double wagers (both 20% takeout) remain unaffected by the changes. The announcement comes at the same time that Pocono is moving to its four-day-a-week schedule for the first time this season. Pocono will now be racing on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, a schedule that will remain in effect until October.

The changes also come right before a racing week that should be particularly exciting at the track. The Bobby Weiss series, which is run in honor of Pocono’s longtime track superintendent and features an impressive group of three-year-olds classified by gender and gait, will begin on Saturday.

by Jim Beviglia, for The Downs