Big Races Bet on Traveling Tellers

(From left): Mike Muscato, a clerk from Saratoga, handled bets in the rooftop Press Room. Laurel resident Lori Caraway, clerking in the grandstand. Philadelphia-based Gail Valdes has worked every Preakness since 1992. Dominic and Ron have worked together as clerks on major stakes races for almost 40 years. (Photos: Angie Kozlowski)

Times have changed. Jobs once entrusted only to smart, quick-thinking, honest, and friendly humans have been delegated to machines and now, even cellular phone applications. But in an industry that does not often stray too far from its nostalgic roots, humans are still getting the call. That call is to travel to big races or big venues or big races at big venues.

Despite its alternate location and smaller crowd, the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes in Laurel Park was no exception to the need for highly skilled tellers, also called mutuel clerks. The betting that takes place at the racetrack is called pari-mutuel wagering.

According to the Maryland Jockey Club’s Laurel Park online “Beginner’s Guide to Pari-Mutuel Wagering,” pari-mutuel wagering means, literally, a mutuel wager or “betting among ourselves.” The information page describes it as being “similar to a stock transaction.” When you buy a $2.00 ticket on a horse you are, in effect, buying one share in the horse’s performance in the race. The racetrack merely acts as the broker for the transaction and deducts a commission fixed by the state and shared by the state, track, and horsemen. The track’s takeout remains the same, regardless of whether a favorite or a longshot wins.

Working as a teller at a horse racing venue generally is a part-time job, and waning demand for in-person betting has reduced the number of tellers at most tracks. The demand for in-person tellers during big-stakes races—for example, the three races of the Triple Crown—led to the rise of the traveling teller. Several of the traveling tellers at Laurel Park had taken time off from their full-time jobs to work this special Preakness weekend.

Mike Muscato works part-time at Saratoga Race Course. He arrived in Maryland the Thursday of Preakness week. He was stationed in the press room for both Friday and Saturday. A full-time dog trainer in Albany, New York, Muscato loves to help people and train dogs. Early on Friday morning, he was getting accustomed to using the older machine made available in the press room. Once races began, it only took a single transaction before he was entering wagers for eager bettors.

Lori Caraway, from Laurel, started her career 31 years ago at Pimlico, where she works part-time for the Maryland Jockey Club. While not technically a traveling teller, she was transferred to Laurel Park when Pimlico was closed for renovations and hopes to return to Pimlico when the rebuild is complete.

Gail Valdes came to Laurel from Philadelphia Parxracing. She arrived on Friday morning and would be in town until Sunday, working both Friday and Saturday. Valdes has come down to work the Preakness every year since 1992. She became interested in working at the track because her father was a trainer; he retired in 2002.

Two of the traveling tellers, Ron and Dom, have worked big races together for many years. Ron works full-time as a Casino Supervisor at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. He took vacation from his job to work the Preakness and drove 18 hours straight to Laurel Park. He enjoys working the big race days, saying, “I get to watch everyone win money!” Dominic, who goes by Dom, traveled from Virginia. He said that he and Ron get together every year for these big races and have been working together for a long time: “We’ve been a package deal since 1990.”

Laurel Park’s Mutuel Supervisor, Nick Konialian, said that 40 of the 115 mutuel tellers working Saturday’s Preakness Stakes were traveling tellers. He said most of the tellers who travel to these big races do so because “they like the experience of the Triple Crown, being a part of it; a lot of them go to all three races.”

However, having experience working at the Preakness did not necessarily mean the clerks had experience working at Laurel Park. For most of the staff brought in to work various jobs over the long Preakness weekend, Laurel Park was a “new venue.” The clerks and staff at the track on both Friday and Saturday were friendly, helpful, and happy to be enjoying the excitement and anticipation of the weekend.

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Angie Latham Kozlowski is a staff writer and member of the Board of Directors for the Laurel History Boys. In addition to her investigative reporting, her articles frequently spotlight Howard County.