Many people seem to be extremely upset about the Breeders' Cup pick six betting scam.

In this one, winning tickets were printed after four of six races had been run, with the All button accounting for the proper numbers in the last two.

This is as much a computer scam as a sports hustle.

Cash attracts schemers.

There have been bank scams, lottery scams, stock market scams, blackjack scams and a bingo scam, where a winning card was printed as the numbers were called.

Bingo.

Probably the best-known horse racing scam took place in the fine period piece, "The Sting," where a type of past-posting was used to swindle a bad man.

Cheating somebody who deserves it is time-honored good theater.

Some type of horse racing hustle was at the center of "The Grifters," a hypnotically dark film during which the actress Angelica Houston kept betting suitcases full of money at horse race tracks without squeezing down the odds much.

Most of the current crooked angles are total electric, involving computers, and the raids are put together by geeks, crack-heads or pari-mutuel tellers with multiple issues.

Old-school race track skullduggery was colorful and was done by characters.

Hawkers of tip sheets would update their publications after the first two races and would proclaim to those arriving late to the track, "Had the Daily Double!"

People who had the Daily Double after it had been run made a lot of money selling tip sheets, another example of why the races are such a good place to be, tip sheet customers being your and my competition.

Most horse track scams have come from the other side of the rail and involve the altering of races by either collusion or drugging. The possibility that there are some crooks over there who might occasionally attempt to steal from good Christian people is like another built-in obstacle in the game, an infrequent occurrence like a pitcher scratching up a baseball or a referee making a fishy holding call with a football game and millions of dollars on the line.

Gambling isn't church.

The possibility of being cheated every so often is like a surcharge gamblers have to be willing to pay.

Maybe there should be a trouble-line entry at the end of some past performances: PC (possible chicanery).

Horse players aren't completely helpless against cheaters from the far side of the rail.

You must be alert for that which makes little sense, for behavioral changes in animals and bettors.

That somebody wants to steal from you also encourages moderation.

On this side of the fence, there are relatively few ways for horse players to cheat each other.

There are the kinds of basic crime that you can find in any mall where flashing cash is ill-advised, pocket picking and head-bashing.

The major rules change that is being talked about after the Breeders' Cup scam has to do with shutting off the betting windows several minutes before the post.

This sounds pretty good to me, because I have always been a proponent of knowing what you're betting.

It can be very unsettling to watch changing odds follow a horse all the way around the track.

Have you noticed that the odds that seem to change after the gates have opened always seem to reduce the payoffs of the winners?

I'm not sure why anybody would be up in arms over the Breeders' Cup betting scandal.

The perpetrators have been caught.

They have to give back the money.

They'll probably go to jail.

People victimized by the more traditional stock market scandals probably wish they were as lucky as horse players at the moment.

Write to Jay at jaycronley@go.com