Ed Fenasci

Immigration enforcement officers raided the Delta Downs racetrack Tuesday morning in what has been described as a sweep of the backstretch, which had been closed off by the authorities. The raid, involving drones, was coordinated between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state and local law enforcement agencies, according to several sources. In the latest development in an evolving situation, "several dozen individuals" have been detained at the track as part of the raid, said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the national Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). Delta Downs' latest Thoroughbred...

At its latest meeting at the end of last month, the Louisiana Racing Commission voted unanimously to strip from its current voided claim rule nearly all of its conditions, according to commission executive director, Stephen Landry. The proposed rule change, said Landry, will now be sent for public comment in the state register. The formal process of adopting a new rule could take up to six months, he added. The proposed rule changes remove all but one line from the state's current voided claim rule. If adopted, the new rule...

The new reality of Computer Assisted Wagering's escalating presence in racetrack's pools and the emergence of horse racing as a fixed-odds betting product on sportsbooks were the focus of Thursday's second day of the three-day National HBPA Conference at Prairie Meadows. Discussing fixed odds on horse racing as a new betting product has become a fixture at the National HBPA Conference, led by industry consultant Michele Fischer, who also is vice president of SIS Content Services, a subsidiary of the largest horse-racing content supplier to global bookmakers/sportsbooks. But this time...