The partnership will power the stateside launch of bet365's Advance Deposit Wagering on horse racing, across web and mobile app channels, in U.S. jurisdictions where ADW is accepted.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to partner with one of the premier brands in sports betting and for 1/ST BET to showcase its best-in-class pari-mutuel horse racing wagering experience to bet365's customers,” said Keith Johnson, Chief Revenue Officer, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY.

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In a 5-1 vote during Thursday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting, the board decided that during the week running Aug. 23 to Aug. 29, Humboldt and GGF would field simultaneous race meets.

Ferndale will run the first of two scheduled weeks of racing this year, from Aug. 16 through Aug. 22, un-overlapped.

In what has been framed as a David versus Goliath fight, proponents of Ferndale had advocated for un-overlapped race dates as a financial lifeline for a small fair track that plays both a vital role in the local economy and provides a unique draw for new players into the sport.

GGF has had in its corner the likes of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), who argued in support of the San Francisco facility's position as an important economic driver for the state's horse racing industry as a whole.

Given how this same debate has become something of an annual slugfest, CHRB vice chairman Oscar Gonzalez–the sole commissioner to vote in Ferndale's favor after a recent scouting trip to the town–proposed a compromise during the vote tally to help assuage ongoing uncertainty.

“What if we went to a rotation where one year is overlapped the second week, and the other year it goes un-overlapped,” said Gonzalez. “So, essentially, 2023 we would allow for two-weeks of un-overlap. 2024, we go back to the second week being overlapped.”

That proposal, however, garnered no traction–at least for now.

ADW Monies for 2023 HISA Payment

The CHRB voted to use in-state Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) monies otherwise earmarked for purses and commissions to cover California's 2023 fee assessment for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which amounts to roughly $1.6 million.

The assessment was originally supposed to be around $6.7 million for the year. But because California has agreed to continue performing many of the duties inherent in the law's drug control program–like the collection and testing of samples–HISA has offered California roughly $5.1 million in credits.

As it currently stands, the HISA law covers only Thoroughbreds and not Quarter Horses. CHRB executive director Scott Chaney confirmed when asked that mixed races at Los Alamitos Racetrack between Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses will not fall under HISA's jurisdiction.

Inclement Weather Policy

The agenda item with arguably the most salience for the horsemen concerned the inclement weather policy the CHRB adopted a couple of years ago in the aftermath of the 2019 Santa Anita welfare crisis, when a rash of fatal breakdowns were attributed to an exceptionally rainy winter, necessitating the track to be frequently sealed.

In short, there remains a perception that horses that work or race immediately after a track is unsealed are at a higher risk of injury–a possible correlation currently being studied by researchers at U.C. Davis.

Right now, once a sealed surface has been opened up, the current policy permits no high-speed workouts for 24 hours, though does allow for everything up to a gallop.

During this winter's volley of storms that have lashed California, the CHRB's inclement weather policy has led to a highly disrupted training and racing schedule for trainers.

“I think it's fair to say that we've received an inordinate amount of rain this year, and so I think it has, shall we say, strained the limits of the inclement weather policy,” admitted Chaney.

According to CHRB equine medical director Jeff Blea, Thursday's meeting provided an opportunity to discuss possible modifications to the policy, with the idea of proposing more concrete rule changes in the future.

Blea outlined a bifurcated proposal whereby for the first 24 hours after a track has been opened up, horses are permitted to jog only.

“The reason for that is, we feel the track is safe for training, but we feel as a matter of safety to reduce the amount of concussion and bone remodeling events that would occur during galloping to limit it to jogging,” said Blea.

According to Blea, for the subsequent 24 hours of the 48-hour period following the opening of a sealed racetrack, horses could be permitted to gallop or breeze as per the discretion of the track superintendent, CTT representation and Blea himself.

“For the second 24 hour of the 48-hour period, we discussed leaving that to jogging only,” said Blea. “But we landed on the conclusion that the determination would be made at the recommendation of the track superintendent in conjunction with myself and the CTT to determine whether the second day after the opening of the seal, we allow jogging or whether we allow them to gallop or even possibly breeze.”

“The decision would depend upon how much water has accumulated in the previous rainstorm, correct?” asked CHRB chairman Greg Ferraro.

“That decision would depend upon how much water occurred during that event, when they were able to get the track sealed, what the track looks like when it's open, how deep they can cut it to ensure there's a safe and consistent base to it,” replied Blea.

Blea confirmed that this policy would apply to both the main track and the training track at Santa Anita. The proposed changes pertain only to training, with no possible modifications to the inclement weather policy proposed at this time for racing.

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According to the civil complaint, Thoro-Graph is suing both NYRA and its NYRA Bets ADW platform over the alleged non-payment of at least $333,000 that Thoro-Graph believes is its rightful cut for incentivizing horseplayers to become NYRA Bets customers via a free, membership-based portal called Thoro-Graph Player Services (TGPS).

Thoro-Graph claimed in its complaint that its portal grew NYRA's betting handle by $100 million over a roughly five-year span, “solely through the joint venture resulting in $3 million in revenue” for NYRA.

When the alignment between the two entities was first announced in 2017, the deal was billed as giving Thoro-Graph an ADW partner, while NYRA Bets got a valuable pipeline of new customers.

Horseplayers would benefit too, a TGPS executive explained at the time of the launch, because they would get access to “concierge-level support,” volume-based wagering rebates, on-track visitation amenities and discounts on Thoro-Graph handicapping products.

But according to the lawsuit, “Defendant NYRA failed to perform its part of the bargain [by allegedly not paying] Plaintiff its full 50% share of its Net Revenue,” wrote Karen Murphy, the attorney for Thoro-Graph, in the Dec. 19, 2022, filing.

“That breach has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses to date and has impacted the value of Plaintiff's corporation resulting in additional lost profits to Plaintiff,” the complaint stated.

The filing stated that the dispute involves how net revenues are calculated: “Plaintiff is entitled to its full 50% share of defendant NYRA's revenue that is generated from the handle wagered on NYRA races by non-New York residents and paid to defendant NYRA. In failing to do so, defendant NYRA is in material breach of its core financial obligation to pay Plaintiff its full revenue share under the terms of the joint venture.”

The complaint contended that Thoro-Graph attempted “good faith settlement efforts” to square up the purportedly mounting non-payments, including making a written demand for the money on June 13, 2022, and a meeting with NYRA representatives to discuss the issue.

“[NYRA's] response was to intimidate Plaintiff with the threat of termination of the joint venture and not to address the failure to pay Plaintiff its full 50/50 share,” the complaint stated.

NYRA then followed through with a letter Dec. 12 giving a 180-day notice of termination of the partnership. That action, in turn, led to Thoro-Graph's lawsuit one week later seeking “compensatory damages which are no less than $500,000 [and] estimated additional damages for the remainder of the term of the existing Agreement.”

The court has set a Feb. 10 date for the defendants to file a reply. TDN asked a NYRA spokesperson if the racing association or NYRA Bets wished to comment prior to that filing, and also asked how the termination of TGPS might affect horseplayers who use the portal.

“NYRA will honor the terms of confidentiality agreed to by the parties involved and reply to the court by Feb. 10. This contractual dispute does not and will not impact NYRA customers,” Patrick McKenna, NYRA's vice president for communications, wrote in an email.

The “Termination for Convenience” letter that NYRA served Thoro-Graph is scheduled to become effective June 10.

“That notice of termination has now been issued solely because Plaintiff made it clear it would proceed with legal efforts to protect its rights under the Agreements to receive its full share of compensation,” Thoro-Graph's complaint stated.

“Plaintiff performed its obligations under [the contracted terms] by maintaining its website as 'best in class' and offering free and reduced priced Thoro-Graph data which has resulted in NYRA Bets signing up over 1,700 horseplayers. This was accomplished by Plaintiff without any marketing assistance from the NYRA Parties…” the complaint stated.

“In 2017, Plaintiff grew the handle of defendant NYRA Bets by $3.1 million,” Thoro-Graph's court filing stated. “In 2018 Plaintiff's contribution was $10.7 million; in 2019 the contribution went to $15.3 million; in 2020 the contribution was $22.7; in 2021 the contribution reached $24 million; [At the time the Dec. 19 lawsuit was filed] Plaintiff's contribution [was] on track to reach $25 million making the total added handle over $100 million.”

Drilling the alleged non-payment issue down further, the complaint stated that NYRA's deduction of an “import host fee” from the net revenue calculation is a chief bone of contention.

The complaint put it this way: “To be clear, what defendant NYRA is claiming is an “import host fee” is simply money RECEIVED by NYRA Bets solely as a result of “Qualifying Wagers” by non-New York residents on NYRA CONTENT and then passed on to and RECEIVED BY DEFENDANT NYRA AS REVENUE.”

Attorney Murphy, when reached by the TDN, said, “For now, we will let the complaint speak for itself. We will have more to say after NYRA's response.”

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Back in April, Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, which regulates all forms of gambling in the state, told WMUR-TV that “They're not regulated by us, nor do they operate on any confines of state law…. It's a concern for us, obviously, because all other gambling in the state happens through us-either we license it, or we regulate it. In this case, neither.”

At that time, McIntyre estimated the amount of lost revenue because of TwinSpires not giving the state a cut of its betting business at “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

McIntyre continued: “They've been doing it for a number of years, and so it's a significant amount of money.”

TwinSpires customers in New Hampshire began receiving emails Sept. 29 informing them that “TwinSpires has elected to cease operation of its ADW Platform for Horse Racing in the state of New Hampshire.”

The email stated that TwinSpires will take wagers from New Hampshire residents on races conducted through Nov. 5th, the concluding day of the Breeders' Cup championships.

After that, the email stated, “Wagering will be suspended on Nov. 6th, and Players will have until Nov. 21 to withdraw funds from their account.”

A Friday afternoon query to Tonya Abeln, CDI's vice president of corporate communications, did not yield a reply prior to deadline for this story.

Nor could McIntyre be reached Friday afternoon to get the lottery commission's perspective on the TwinSpires pullout.

Back in April, CDI officials told the gaming news site casino.org that TwinSpires was “legal and compliant with the federal Interstate Horse Racing Act.”

A FAQ page provided in CDI's email to New Hampshire customers cited non-specific “regulatory changes in New Hampshire” as the gaming corporation's reason for vacating the state.

“As of right now we do not know what the future holds for TwinSpires as an ADW Platform for Horse Racing in New Hampshire but we are hopeful to serve you again soon,” the FAQ page stated.

In April, McIntyre told WMUR-TV that he had approached CDI about resolving the issue, but that “nothing has happened yet.”

New Hampshire no longer has live pari-mutuel racing of any breed. Thoroughbred racing ceased at Rockingham Park in 2002, and harness racing ceased there in 2009. The state had three greyhound tracks operating at the start of the 21st Century; two of them stopped racing before dog racing was banished in New Hampshire in 2010.

The post After Probe over Unlicensed Operation, Twinspires Exits New Hampshire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The post CHRB In-Person Meeting Wednesday, August 17 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Worth approximately $1.5 billion, Twinspires is the official wagering partner of the Kentucky Derby.

Anonymous sources told Bloomberg CDI has reached out to an adviser to solicit potential interest, but stressed that no final decision about its sale has been made.

CDI's share price rose to a high of $236.26 Thursday after the report was released.

Read more at Bloomberg.

The post Report: CDI Exploring Sale Of TwinSpires appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The board of the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, which represents horsemen at the southern Illinois track 15 miles from downtown St. Louis, cites the closure of suburban Chicago's industry icon Arlington Park by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI), TwinSpires' parent corporation, as a prime motivation for withholding consent. With CDI not owning a functioning racetrack in Illinois in 2022, TwinSpires must under state law have a contract with another duly licensed track to conduct business in the state starting Jan. 1. The only remaining Prairie State horse tracks are FanDuel and Chicagoland's Hawthorne Race Course, with CDI seeking approval through the FanDuel track.

Illinois law also gives horsemen consent rights before an advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform can enter into a relationship with an Illinois track to conduct business in the state.

Illinois HBPA president Jim Watkins said his organization's board believes the issue is of the magnitude that it should go before the Illinois Racing Board. The IRB has scheduled a hearing on Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. Central via WebEx. The racing regulators have the power to overrule the horsemen's veto if they believe the horsemen's action was unreasonable, he said.

“That's where we're at now,” Watkins said. “We just felt this was an issue the racing board should be able to weigh in on, whether TwinSpires continues to be allowed to operate in Illinois. That's a big reason we withheld our consent.”

Watkins said the horsemen are upset not just that CDI shut down Arlington Park but then would not sell to ownership wishing to maintain racing at the 94-year-old track. CDI is the majority owner of Rivers Casino Des Plaines, located 10 miles from Arlington Park. The company has an agreement to sell the Arlington Park property to pro football's Chicago Bears for a reported $197 million.

“CDI wants their cake and to eat it, too: 'We're not willing to be involved in the racing, but we want to still utilize our ADW powers in Illinois,'” Watkins said.

Beyond the situation with TwinSpires in Illinois, Watkins believes there are fundamental issues with the entire ADW model that the industry must address to maintain horse racing's viability.

“This is where the system is really flawed,” he said. “It's an agreement between three parties. In Illinois, the track and the ADW provider negotiate the contract, and the third — the horsemen — is just the consenter. There are so many questions left unanswered. Obviously with the increased numbers of people using ADWs, the horsemen and the tracks get so much less of that it could spell doom for us.

“The framers of these ADWs intended for it to basically be a third to the provider, a third to the track and a third to the horsemen. But they take out fees up front, and those fees are unspecified in purpose and amount. What is an ADW fee? What does that mean? The racetracks don't ask the ADW to pay their security payroll and the electric bill. And the horsemen don't ask the ADW company to pay the feed bill and hay bill and straw bill.”

Watkins said the Illinois HBPA also “wants to bring light to a flawed system” under which online betting platforms operate. Watkins said that the ADWs make the lion's share of the net proceeds at the expense of horsemen's purse accounts and brick-and-mortar tracks and simulcasting facilities, even as the online technology siphons off the majority of bettors.

“It's inherently flawed, just the way it is set up,” Watkins said. “I think it's going to be the death of horse racing if we continue to go at the rate we're going. This was so well-said by a Chicago horseman: 'We traded dollars for quarters when we went to simulcast wagering. Now, with the ADW wagering, we're trading dollars and quarters for nickels.' The recipe has to be changed if horse racing — at least for the mid-level and smaller tracks — is going to exist.”

Watkins points to a July 14 article by former New York Racing Association head Charles Hayward, now publisher of Thoroughbred Racing Commentary, that illustrates the inequities of the ADW splits.

“Because of the pandemic of early 2020, Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW), Computer Robotic Wagering (CRW) and other off-track outlets handled 97 percent of the total U.S. racing handle last year,” Hayward wrote. “The on-track handle was the remaining 3 percent, or $333 million.

“… Here is a model of how the racetrack and the purse account would split a million dollars bet through an ADW: The ADW operator receipts would be $70,000, or 40 percent greater than the $50,000 total proceeds to the racetrack and the purse account.”

The Illinois HBPA signed a one-year contract with TVG to operate in Illinois, Watkins said. FanDuel, part of the corporate enterprise that operates the TVG racing channel and betting platform, is the southern Illinois track's equity partner to operate the sports book. While the company is not a partner in the racetrack, it received branding and naming rights as part of a contract that includes the long-term sponsorship of the St. Louis Derby, worth $250,000 in 2021.

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The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Saturday that NYRA Bets, LLC (NYRA Bets), is now available in the state of Michigan for residents ages 21 and older.

“NYRA Bets is the best way to bet the races, and we are thrilled that horseplayers in Michigan can download the app today to access NYRA Bets,” said Matt Feig, General Manager of NYRA Bets.

New users who sign up for NYRA Bets today are eligible to earn up to $200 in a deposit match with a $25 Free Play. For additional information, visit NYRABets.com.

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The decision by Bank of America, which began accepting debit card transactions in mid-August, is expected to have a positive impact on overall U.S. pari-mutuel handle.

“This is another positive step for Thoroughbred racing and one that would not have come about without the support of Bank of America and the advocacy on behalf of our industry by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) and his staff,” said NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop.

“I commend Bank of America for expanding access to wagering on Thoroughbred horse racing for the roughly 66 million Americans that the bank serves,” said Barr, who serves on the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. “This is a win for Bank of America customers and the horse racing industry. Bank of America's decision will strengthen the horse racing industry in the Commonwealth and throughout the United States.”

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“PointsBet is very pleased to join forces with Premier Turf Club,” noted PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken. “The combination of Premier Turf Club's excellence in the space with PointsBet's mature market Australian racing expertise favorably positions us as we prepare to enter the U.S. horse racing market.  Today's noteworthy acquisition complements our in-house approach while growing our premier product suite, and we are excited to welcome Premier Turf Club to the PointsBet team.”

Premier Turf Club, known as “Racing's Best Kept Secret,” has been in business over 13 years and operates the website BetPTC.com.  The company is overseen by general manager Todd Bowker, a longtime industry executive who will become vice president of racing for PointsBet USA.  Bowker previously served as general manager of AmericaTab Ltd, where he led the start-up of the company and oversaw the operational management of what grew to become the fourth largest Advance Deposit Wagering company licensed in Oregon. Premier Turf Club's highly experienced staff will also be joining the PointsBet team.

“As Premier Turf Club was exploring options for how we might enter the sports betting market, we realized early on that we wanted to partner with a highly regarded and experienced operator,” said Bowker. “PointsBet's history in racing in Australia made them an ideal choice, and we are excited to join their team. We look forward to be able to offer sports wagering to our customers in jurisdictions where legal, and to expose PointsBet's customers to the excitement of betting on racing.”

Premier Turf Club's extensive industry expertise and relationships, customer-focused operations, and excellent reputation will be of immediate value to PointsBet as the company looks to continue its proven track record of entering new markets with premium products while accelerating client value and growth in the United States.

For the operators able to execute on the opportunity, horse racing has a unique role to play alongside sports betting entertainment and content in the United States.  The horse racing industry in the U.S. generates over $12 billion in handle annually, with only half wagered through ADW products legally available in 38 states.  PointsBet aims to be at the center of innovation and growth in U.S. horse racing, and the addition of ADW adds to PointsBet's growing proprietary wagering product set which already includes a fixed odds sportsbook, PointsBetting, and online casino.

About PointsBet
PointsBet is one of the fastest growing sportsbooks in the country and is rapidly expanding its U.S. footprint, currently bringing its best-in-class proprietary technology, modernized and premium brand mentality, expert trading practices, and proven growth marketing strategies to the burgeoning sports betting markets of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and New Jersey. Originally founded in Australia, PointsBet is a cutting-edge online gaming operator that prides itself on having the quickest and most user-friendly app (iOS and Android) while also providing the best content and experience for sports bettors. PointsBet is the only U.S. sportsbook to offer PointsBetting – a unique and innovative way to bet – and has also introduced a slew of well-received, bettor-first initiatives. PointsBet offers the most markets on all four major U.S. sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and PointsBetting in the world. For more information, visit www.PointsBet.com.

About Premier Turf Club
Premier Turf Club, LLC is a U.S. based pari-mutuel account wagering provider regulated in the state of Oregon by the Oregon Racing Commission. Staff includes horse owners, bettors and industry professionals that have been involved in advance deposit wagering and simulcasting since their inceptions. PTC has developed a business model that benefits the players, the horsemen and the race tracks, while offering an extensive racing menu where customers can wager on over 200 Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound race tracks.

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