Craps was Crap and Slots wasn't Crappy

One of my VERY FEW trips to a casino was... okay.

I was there, at the Heritage Hotel to gamble some of my money, (and a whole lot more of my boss' cash) as our company went through, what we like to call, ''the Casino field trip.''

Too straightforward eh?

My past stints inside a casino involved a lot of them blocks games, (games that you would normally find in peryas), and a couple more betting tendencies so pathetic, I'm thankful dealers were accepting my minuscule bets.

Unfortunately, none of them blocks games were available inside the Heritage hotel. So I just had to contend with those slot machines my grandma can't get enough of. After an hour of mindlessly reaching for that damn lever, it struck me, ''Kaya pala na-aadik sila dito.''

The sound of clanging tokens really becomes music to your ears. Heck, after losing 200-to-300 worth of tokens, you'll be glad to hear that sound, even if it's only two goddamn coins making all that noise inside the damn machine.

So after losing all my tokens, I was happy. Happy knowing that these slot machines REALLY are addictive, knowing that the next time I get inside a casino again, I know where to go first.

When everything was fine and dandy, I had to go play Craps. And jeez... Craps was... well... crap.

The minimum bet was a hundred bucks. So I thought, okay, I'll go buy five measly chips for five hundred bucks.

So there I was, looking stupid while watching some dick throw stuff like dice and chips at me. After five throws of the dice, lo and behold, my five magical chips (that costs a hundred bucks each) were all gone.

No lever to pull. No music of clanging tokens. Just the smell of cigarette butts and the sound of an irritating old fart with a distinctive Visayan accent.

The Latin America Invasion of Horse Racing

The 2006 Preakness Stakes will see the power in horse racing shifting gears.

Where are the US-born riders? With the retirements of American stars Jerry Bailey, Pat Day and Gary Stevens within the past year, jockeys named Prado, Victor Espinoza, Patrick Valenzuela, Ramon Dominguez and Rafael Bejarano dominate the sport's list of money leaders.

One of these guys, Edgar Prado, was being interviewed in the Gulfstream Park jockeys' lounge in Hallandale Park, Fla.

In a room filled with jockeys, his conversation is the only one in English. And even Prado occasionally interrupts himself to speak to someone else in Spanish.

The flow of language would have people reminding themselves that they were in the United States and not South America. It will be the same in the jockeys' room during Saturday's Preakness Day card. Almost all of the jockeys at the top of the money-winning list are from Latin America.

''It's funny,'' said American-born jockey Jeremy Rose, 27, who rode Afleet Alex to victory in the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes last year.

''My agent and I were talking about that very thing just the other day. We were trying to think of young American jockeys my age or below, and we had a hard time thinking of any on the national scene.''

There are only two American-born jockeys in the top 10. Garrett Gomez, 34, and Corey Nakatani, 35.You have to look outside the top 10 for young, developing Americans. Apprentice Rosie Napravnik, 18, who rides at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, is No. 25.

Preakness Stakes is just around the corner. Have you chosen your bets to win the second leg of this three-race warfare? All Horse Racing is all about horse racing, check it out and bet today.

The Problem with Horse Racing

Horse racing's problem is obvious.

Decades-long slump in attendance and wagering at the track.Horse racing's solution might be less obvious. Get people to stay home and bet. In a seemingly paradoxical and counterintuitive turn, online technology, which would appear to discourage going to the races, is being viewed as a potential life-saver for a sport on life support.

When the 131st Preakness Stakes is run Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, advanced-deposit wagering, the broader category of which online betting forms the greatest share, is expected to make up a growing portion of the bottom line. So-called ADW handle, meaning the money wagered, comes from bettors using telephones and other interactive devices as well as computers.

Last year, ADW handle accounted for $39 million, or nearly 8 percent of the total for racing at Pimlico and Laurel Park which runs the tracks. Nationally, of the $14.6 billion wagered on horse racing in 2005, approximately 88 percent was off-track, and ADW handle was about $1.16 billion, according to data published by the Oregon Racing Commission.

Horse racing and online wagering officials say the near-term consequence of online betting is an increase in the racing industry's overall handle. But just as important, they contend, is that in the long run, people who are introduced to horse racing via the computer will be enticed to see the real thing more often.

Preakness Stakes is just around the corner. Have you chosen your bets to win the second leg of this three-race warfare? All Horse Racing is all about horse racing, check it out and bet today.

Controversy in the 132nd Kentucky Derby

The estate of James T. Hines Jr. announced it had sold a partial interest in Arkansas Derby winner Lawyer Ron to Our Legal Team, LLC.

Lawyer Ron will stand at Stonewall Stallions upon his retirement from racing. Our Legal Team, owned by Audrey Haisfield, operates Stonewall Stallions in Versailles.

Ron Bamberger, executor of the estate, said terms of the deal, including the percentage of ownership, were confidential but added that Lawyer Ron would race in the name and colors of the James Hines Jr. estate Saturday.

''I did not need permission from the family (to execute the deal), but I did confer with them and decided this was in their interest,'' said Bamberger, who is also Lawyer Ron's namesake.

''Of course, it was emotional for them selling any interest in the horse. The biggest thing they wanted was for the estate's name and colors to be part of the Kentucky Derby picture. That was non-negotiable,'' he added.

Hines, who also bred Lawyer Ron, accidentally drowned in his pool at his Owensboro home on Feb. 21.

Although a stud deal is in place, Bamberger insisted Lawyer Ron would race beyond his 3-year-old season as long as the son of Langfuhr remains in good health.

Lawyer Ron, the 4-to-1 second choice in the morning line for the Derby, comes into the race having won his last six starts including the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 15. The chestnut colt will remain in the care of Bob Holthus, who was the sole trainer for Hines.

''It won't affect our preparations (for the Derby),'' Holthus said of the sale. ''(Lawyer Ron) doesn't know anything about it, and I'm not going to tell him.''

Bodog has all the odds on the 132nd Kentucky Derby. Yes, it’s that time of the year again to log on to Bodog and place your bets. History seems to side with underdogs in these big time horse races though. Keep that in mind when you place your bet.