gambling

Joseph "Kevin" Costello of Downers Grove, Ill. bested a total of 127 entries to take home the top prize in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Qualifier held Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Costello hit the Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park that placed him over the top for the top prize money of $3,000. Costello had already qualified twice for the NHC Finals, the maximum number of seats for the final prize money in Las Vegas set for March 2024. So, his seat was allotted to the fifth-place finisher as the top...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) voted to approve temporary licenses for sports wagering operators and service providers, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday. A temporary license grants up to one year of operation in the state while under continued review. With the approval of these licenses, Kentucky bettors now know the retail facilities where they can place a sports wager and which mobile applications will be licensed in the state. "The countdown continues as we move closer to sports wagering with retail locations opening in just 16 days," said...

It was back in 2004 that Brent Sumja made a career decision. He was among the leading trainers in Northern California, but wasn't following his true passion. That was playing the horses. So he disbanded his stable and set out to be a professional handicapper. It went well. He played the races regularly and also focused on the handicapping tournaments. In 2014, Sumja won five tournaments in a four-month span from May to September to clinch the title of 2013 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour Champion and the first prize...

With the opening day of sports betting just three weeks away, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has provided a timeline of key dates, including that betting will officially start at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 7, for in-person bets at licensed retail facilities. A list of approved retail facilities and mobile applications will be released Aug. 22, following the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) meeting. "The countdown is on. We are just three weeks away from sports wagering in Kentucky," said Gov. Beshear. "We are ready to deliver the quality...

With the field loading into the gate for Sunday's sixth race at Saratoga, the start of a Pick 5 sequence, it was announced that three subsequent races were being taken off of the turf. For purposes of the Pick 5, the three off-the-turf races were considered "all" races, meaning those races essentially were eliminated from the bet, turning the Pick 5 into a daily double. It paid $25. That didn't sit well with numerous horseplayers, which didn't go unnoticed by NYRA executives. That's why NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke...

Dear TDN Editor: Some may argue that Thoroughbred racing is a contact sport. Twelve-hundred-pound athletes running at 40 mph around an oval and navigating through holes as tight as the eye of a needle might support that reasoning. Our racing stewards are there to guard against the worst from happening and protecting the integrity and safety of the sport of Thoroughbred racing. With the eyes of a hawk, they are doing their job well from their perch atop the clubhouse. All are accredited with experience and must be commended for...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack reveals a pair of selections for the first Saturday of the Saratoga meeting. Race 1, Msw, $136k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET There's every chance that National Treasure (Quality Road)'s half-brother and rail-drawn 4-5 morning-line favorite Pirate (Omaha Beach) turns out to be a complete monster, but I'll be taking a shot against him with fellow firster Special Element (Copper Bullet). There's plenty of precocity in Special Element's pedigree. His freshman sire Copper Bullet, winner of the 2017 GII Saratoga Special...

Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) can make some noise at what has to be a terrific price in Saturday's GI Belmont S. He continues to improve with each of his six career starts for trainer Brad Cox, and was a bit unlucky in his last two tries. The handsome gray came up just a nose short with a wide trip after bouncing off rivals down the stretch in the GII Wood Memorial S., then was a respectable fifth after racing too close to a scorching pace in the GI Kentucky...

MonmouthBets, the first legal and regulated mobile application for fixed odds betting on horse racing in the United States, has launched announced BetMakers Technology Group Friday. Approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the MonmouthBets app is now available for New Jersey residents to accept wagers on mobile devices ahead of Monmouth Park's 78th season beginning Saturday, May 13. In addition to being able to place bets on Monmouth Park races, New Jersey horseplayers can now place fixed odds wagers on races from Tampa Bay Downs, Canterbury Park,...

After wagering dropped by a troubling 6.22% through the first two months of the year, the sport rebounded in March. According to figures released Thursday by Equibase, handle was up 2.14% during the month when compared to 2022. A total of $962,703,949 was wagered in March. In the category of average wagering per race day, there was an increase of 1.10%. Handle is still down by 3.40% for the year. The advances reversed a trend that began in October of last year. Handle fell by 4.93% in October and continued...

New York State's Responsible Play Partnership (RPP), consisting of the New York State Gaming Commission, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and the New York Council on Problem Gambling, is holding multiple events to drive attention to the issue as part of the 20th anniversary of National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. On Mar. 10 at 11 a.m., the RPP will hold a press conference at the Javits Center with National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Executive Director Keith Whyte to highlight the treatment and service options...

A new Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool with up to 40 betting interests, including the popular "All Others" option, will debut Tuesday, Nov. 1 and close Thursday, Nov. 3 in advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships' Future Stars Friday. The new three-day pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, will open Tuesday, Nov. 1 at noon (all times Eastern) and close Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Technology advancements now allow up to 40 pari-mutuel betting interests, up from 24 in previous years. Track officials will release the...