wagering

Editor's Note: The following is an edited press release from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, which is beginning a 12-part series on wagering insecurity next week. The series will be released in two installments per week, and the TDN will carry summaries and links to the 12 articles. The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) will launch "Wagering Insecurity," a multi-part series which will examine the current state of oversight of North American Thoroughbred racing and wagering, beginning Tuesday, Apr. 13. In the aftermath of the infamous "Fix Six" at the 2002 Breeders'...

According to statistics released Monday by Equibase, daily average wagering and average purses per race day each saw significant increases in the period from Jan. 31-Mar. 31, 2021 when compared to the same time frame in 2020. Total wagering in the three-month period was reported at $2.776 billion, an increase of 10.27% over last year, with daily average wagering at $3,611,092, which represented a 14.15% improvement from 12 months ago. Nearly $215 million in purses were disbursed from January through March, some 4.6% better than last year, with several tracks...

Edited Press Release FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association, Inc. have announced an expanded partnership agreement that establishes FOX Sports as the official wagering partner of NYRA Bets and the leading media provider for elite Thoroughbred racing through the next decade. The prior FOX Sports/NYRA media rights agreement provided a FOX Sports subsidiary with an option to acquire a 25% stake in NYRA Bets, LLC, a leading Advance Deposit Wagering platform launched in 2016 and available to customers in 30 states across the country. The FOX Sports subsidiary...

NYRA is no longer accepting wagers from customers using computer assisted wagering (CAW) programs on its Empire Six wager. The new policy took effect Feb. 4. The Empire Six joins NYRA's Late Pick 5 and the Cross Country Pick 5 as pools that are now closed to a group of bettors who use computer algorithms to place their wagers and are known for betting huge amounts, particularly when there is a large carryover in a pool or a mandatory payout day. This was the second step in a process that...

Saturday's 12-race program at Gulfstream Park, topped by Greatest Honour (Tapit)'s powerful victory in the GIII Holy Bull S., set a new record for handle for the program. Total handle on the afternoon was $21.87 million, eclipsing the previous record of $19.775 set in 2017 and surpassing last year's total handle by 20%. "It was a wonderful day of racing, and we want to thank the fans and the horsemen for supporting our program," said Aidan Butler, Chief Operating Officer of 1/ST Racing. "Congratulations to Greatest Honour and all of...

The Supreme Court of Kentucky ruled Jan. 21 that it will not rehear an appealed Sept. 24 decision that told a lower court to re-examine the legality of historical horse race (HHR) gaming in the commonwealth, keeping the most crucial form of funding for purses at the state's five Thoroughbred tracks in peril. HHR handled $2.2 billion during the Commonwealth's most recent fiscal year, and revenue from that form of gaming annually contributes tens of millions of dollars to the Kentucky purses. This form of gaming has been operational--but challenged...

Last week, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) announced a roughly $15-million, two-year "purse enhancement" program as part of an agreement with TVG, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing. The reason for the new program is simple: an unprecedented betting shift toward ADW platforms over the past 11 months has hit the California purse account hard. Not just the purse account. This shift has similarly clobbered several key industry programs that rely heavily on wagering made at brick and mortar venues. The Southern California Stabling...

Northern Kentucky's Turfway Park wrapped up a five-week holiday meet Dec. 31 with increases in wagering, average daily handle, and field size. All-sources wagering for the meet was up to $32.3 million, a 34.6% or $8.3-million increase from last year in spite of three fewer race dates. The average daily handle of $2.48 million was up 65.6% from the previous year's number of $1.5 million. In addition, average field size grew slightly from 10.3 starters per race to 10.5. A new Tapeta surface was installed last summer. Jockey Gerardo Corrales...

Despite a racing calendar ravaged by the coronavirus, all-sources handle on U.S. racing in 2020 declined by just .98%. According to Equibase, total handle on the year was $10,925,226,444 or $108,597,919 less than what it was in 2019. Had the Triple Crown races not been rescheduled, it's possible that handle might have risen on the year. The total handle for the three race days combined dropped by $208 million, or more than what handle was off for the entire year. "The horse racing community is extremely resilient as borne out...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. announced the Empire 6 wager will offer a daily mandatory payout in the month of January beginning with Aqueduct's New Year's Day card, which is highlighted by the 151st renewal of the Jerome S., a one-turn mile for sophomores offering 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. First post on Friday's nine-race card is 12:20 p.m. EST, with the Empire 6 set to kick off in Race 4 (1:50 p.m.) Featuring a $0.20 bet minimum and 20% takeout, the Empire 6 wager...

Despite the rise in the COVID-19 infection rate in many states around the country, wagering on U.S. races managed to remain relatively stable, with only a slight dip from 2019 figures. A total of $895,325,220 was wagered last month, down 6.33% from November of 2019. Year-to-date figures decreased only 1.48% from $10,326,096,182 bet in 2019. Both figures include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races. In November, average wagering per race day jumped by 35.49% up to $3,996,998, while the year-to-date figure showed a similar pattern, rising by 33.78% to $3,310,512....

by Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Editor's note: The following open letter to the industry was submitted by the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, a think tank and advocacy group which aims to improve the sport of Thoroughbred racing for all stakeholders. The passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) would signal a prominent turning point for Thoroughbred racing in America. Regardless of where one has stood on the merits of the legislation over the years, its passage will bring to an end a generation of discord between industry participants, enabling our...