wagering

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...

The New York State Gaming Commission adopted three new wagering rules that will provide bettors more options in the sport of harness racing in New York. The rules were adopted by the Commission at the Nov. 30 meeting and will take effect on upon publication in the State Register. "The new wagering formats will provide increased opportunities for bettors, and, we hope, increase interest in the sport. Any increase in handle is beneficial, as it ultimately leads to incremental purse offerings at racetracks here in New York," said Commission Executive...

Courtesy Thoroughbred Idea Foundation   Racing needs a long-term plan which will put the sport on a path to raise handle to nearly $50 billion annually with more than $5 billion held by the industry by 2040. Sound optimistic? Falling well short of that goal would still be a monumental accomplishment given we are on track for another year at just $11 billion in handle, and down nearly 50% in the last two decades, adjusted for inflation. So where are the plans from the industry to start thinking long-term about...

As a service to the industry and in consideration of the economic changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase is currently providing monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year. October 2020 vs. October 2019 Indicator October 2020 October 2019 % Change Wagering on U.S. Races* $929,063,211 $776,071,164 +19.71% U.S. Purses $90,845,317 $91,981,753 -1.24% U.S. Race Days 340 334 +1.80% U.S. Races 2,852 2,754 +3.56% U.S. Starts 22,410 22,176 +1.06%...

Recently, TDN published a data set illustrating how the racing industry in California has undergone a dramatic shapeshift, both before and during the pandemic. New betting patterns have constituted a quarter-billion-dollar boon for the advance deposit wagering (ADW) industry at the expense of the California horsemen's purses. In a nutshell, as compared to a comparable period in 2018, the number of races this year has declined 30%. Although the overall handle has declined 18.8%, purses have dropped more than 26%. To discuss these findings, we spoke with Thoroughbred Owners of...

Like an overzealous professor, the pandemic has taken a bright red marker to the status quo, with the racing industry very much on the receiving end of this economic revisionism. When it comes to California alone, startling betting patterns have emerged with potentially serious ramifications for the long-term sustainability of the sport in the state--that's according to handle and purse data from the first eight months of the past three years put together for the TDN by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). Among the key takeaways is this: While...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. will host the Cross Country Pick 5, encompassing five Grade I contests from Belmont Park and Keeneland Race Course Saturday, Oct. 3. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 is comprised of: Leg 1 - Belmont, R7: GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (4:03 p.m.) Leg 2 - Keeneland, R8: GI First Lady (4:51 p.m.) Leg 3 - Belmont, R9: GI Belmont Derby Inv. (5:06...

During these unprecedented times of global pandemic and spectator-free stands, the 81st Del Mar summer meet wrapped up Monday with a gripping battle to the wire between Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli for leading jockey honors. They were tied at 49 races apiece going into the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, with Prat winning on Dr. Schivel (Violence) and Rispoli finishing fourth on Scooby (Fast Anna). It was the penultimate race of the meet and left Prat alone atop the rider standings with 50 wins and $2,968,918 in earnings. It...

Editor's Note: As a service to the industry and in consideration of the economic changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase is currently providing monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year. * Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races. August 2020 vs. August 2019 Indicator                                              August 2020 ...

The total amount wagered on U.S. races in July saw a 16.63% increase over 2019 figures, the best month the sport has had this year and a sign that the effects of the coronavirus are no longer negatively impacting handle. The July handle of $1,098,728 was the first $1 billion-plus monthly handle on the year. Prior to the release of the figures, there had already been signs that July was going to be a good month. The handle for GI Haskell S. day at Monmouth was over $20 million, the...