Thursday, May 03, 2001
Clerks watch as machines take over
Bet acceptors had always been a racing fixture
By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — Longtime clerks like Laural Bishop now find themselves outnumbered 3-1 with machines taking bets during simulcasting at Turfway Park in Florence.
“We don't want to fight the company, but we have made a commitment to work there,” said the 42-year-old Florence woman. “We feel like we are being pushed out the door. We like our job. We want to work.”
Ms. Bishop said being a pari-mutuel clerk is more than a job; it's a lifestyle.
She has been a clerk for 22 years, working extensively at Churchill Downs until three years ago.
Her parents raced and trained horses at the old Latonia race track in Covington. A great-uncle had a farm where he stabled horses behind the home she grew up in.
Ms. Bishop fondly recalls stories from her more than two decades working as a parimutuel clerk.
When she was still a rookie, her idol, Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench, appeared at a window to place a bet. The dazzled Ms. Bishop froze and didn't get his bet in before the race started.
“The horse lost, so he didn't get too upset,” she said.
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