I read in a Washington Post article that the 10 days of racing that begin Friday at Laurel Park will attract attention throughout the U.S. parimutuel industry because for these 10 days, Laurel will slash its takeout rate — the price it charges for a bet — to the lowest level in the nation and probably the lowest in the world.

Apparently U.S. racetracks take about 20 cents from every dollar wagered — money that funds purses, provides operating expenses and profit for the track and yields taxes to the state. The takeout rate nationally is around 20 percent, but it varies from place to place and wager to wager.

The reduction in fees is the idea of Lou Raffetto, the track’s president, who sought to promote a race meeting that exists to fill an awkward gap on the thoroughbred schedule between closing day at Colonial Downs and opening day at Timonium.

I might head on down there and put a wager on; we probably won’t see these kinds of rates again for a while.