Horse Wagering

Beginning Oct. 1, Betfair will no longer accept exchange wagers from its New Jersey customers, ending a brief and unsuccessful experiment in the U.S. for a form of wagering that couldn't overcome a number of obstacles that stood in its way of success. Founded in 2000, Betfair introduced exchange wagering in the U.K., where it proved to be wildly popular. A betting exchange is a marketplace where customers set their own odds on a horse. If someone accepts those odds, the bets are matched. This also allows customers to act...

Much has been said and written about racing's opportunity during the coronavirus pandemic to capture wagering dollars typically directed towards sports betting or spent in casinos, and I'm happy to report that two of my closest friends have done their part in contributing to handle over the past month or so. Neither are complete rookies, but they don't regularly bet races. We actually started betting horses at the same time--early in our college careers, but they never got hooked on the sport like I did. They've been to Saratoga, will...