Horse Racing in Louisiana

One of the winning horses poses by the gate for pictures by photographers and fans.

QUICK QUESTIONS:

• Can I bring my kids? 

Yes. 

• Is this fun?

Yes — but it's more fun if you are old enough to bet. Betting is restricted to 18+. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of horses running around the track. It gets a little old after a while. I had more fun trying to figure out the statistics to bet than anything else. 

•  Is it expensive?

No. The races are free to get in, and as far as gambling goes, you can place a bet for as little as two dollars, which is much cheaper than your average poker or blackjack table minimum. On the downside, if you make smaller bets, you win less money. It's also harder, in my opinion. I usually manage to just break even at the races, whereas I've come home from poker or blackjack with some spare cash.   

• Before you ask, I didn't see a single person with a mint julep. 

ON TO THE POST!

Since my budget's too thin right now to allow for major travel, I'm always looking for new and exciting things to try around Texas. So when my dad suggested the racetrack at Delta Downs (located in Vinton, Louisiana), I was on board. I'd never seen a horse race before, and it was close enough to my hometown of Beaumont that I didn't have to worry about my transportation costs breaking the bank. 

My father's family often traveled to the races when he was a little boy, where he and his brother had to watch the races from outside the hotel's chainlink fence. They were underage and not allowed inside. My grandmother would ask them which horses they thought she should bet on and place her bets based on their choices, making them feel like they were included. Even though they had to sit on the opposite side of the fence, the family would laugh and cut up and generally have a grand ol' time. 

From the beginning, my Dad liked to study the statistics to place his bets. His brother, my uncle, liked to pick his favorites based on names he liked. 

All these years later, my Dad still uses the numbers to try and place his bets — which is still largely unsuccessful. I aped his brother's strategy after becoming disenchanted with the results of my study. I started picking names. I went home in better shape than Dad. 

Dad studying the racing program, trying to decide which horse to bet on. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

The entire family can now sit and enjoy the races INSIDE the fence. In fact, for my first visit, my whole family decided to go, including my 12-year-old baby sister. The adults enjoyed the gambling and the kids chased each other around in the expanse in front of the track. Unlike many other forms of gambling, you only have to be 18 to bet on the races, so it's something your teenagers can enjoy too, without being relegated to kiddie games to amuse themselves. 

A losing bet ticket and a race program in the background. At Delta Downs, the programs are $3 and it's pretty fun to try and figure out the system of statistics that professional gamblers use. It's fun to learn, but not very effective in my experience, and after a few losing bets, switched to picking my favorites based on names.

Another point in favor of the races is that the betting is not expensive. Betting on horse races follows a set formula, and some bets are as cheap as two dollars. You can bet in many different ways, and of course, with a much greater sum. But since I'm a broke college kid, I kept my bets cheap and just managed to break even at the end of the night. Dad, a little more daring, wasn't so lucky.  

In my opinion, it's best to go when the thoroughbreds are racing, because watching those races is more dynamic. The races follow some sort of circuit, and you can check what kind of races are happening at the casino's website.  

All in all, even if you don't enjoy gambling, it's worth a visit for the sake of experiencing something different. The races are fairly interesting to watch (it does get old after a while, because all they ever do is run around a track...) and you can bring the whole family. And it's a fun way to gamble that won't break the bank like, say, poker or blackjack. I'd say try it at least once.