covid-19 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Which ADWs Have Gained The Most During COVID-19 Pandemic?

Without legal advance deposit wagering in the United States, horse racing would have suffered unimaginable consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic that was unleashed one year ago. As it was, many tracks were forced to close while racing officials, health departments and infectious disease experts across the country worked toward solutions to keeping a major industry going.

Almost without exception, on-track business evaporated and racing was dependent on leading ADW companies TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet and NYRA Bets to stay in business. Those companies, the “big four” among ADWs, handled nearly $6.5 billion through the Oregon Racing Commission wagering hub, about 60% of the $10.9 billion bet on U.S. races in 2020, according to Equibase.

Some caveats: NYRA Bets totals do not include wagers made by New York residents on in-state races. Also, the ADW totals include a relatively small percentage that is wagered on Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing and international races. The totals for TwinSpires and Xpressbet may include “white label” ADWs created by various racetracks that use the aforementioned companies' technology.

Another $160 million was wagered through the Oregon hub by six smaller ADW companies.

Also, keep in mind that a significant portion of wagering dollars (though the details are not available) is bet through a hub in North Dakota. Elite Turf Club, Lien Games Racing, WatchAndWager.com and several others are registered in North Dakota, which is not as transparent with wagering totals as is Oregon. Among those companies, Elite Turf Club is probably the largest, with a number of high volume customers employing computer assisted wagering programs.

The growth in wagering through the Oregon hub by the “big four” from 2019 to 2020 was 52%. From a percentage standpoint, NYRA Bets – the smallest of the four and the latest to launch its business in 2016 – had the biggest gain of 104%. From a dollars standpoint, TVG was the leader, gaining over $1.2 billion in wagers from 2019 to 2020.

Perhaps not surprisingly, those two companies are affiliated with television throughout the year: NYRA Bets through programming on Fox Sports and TVG with its long-established racing network.

TVG's growth was so dramatic in 2020 that it overtook TwinSpires as the largest volume ADW company using the Oregon hub, ending a long run at the top by TwinSpires. In 2019, TwinSpires handled over $640 million more than TVG.

From a percentage standpoint, TwinSpires showed the slowest growth of the “big four” during the pandemic, gaining 30%. Xpressbet gained 34% from 2019-'20 topping $1 billion for the second consecutive year.

The post Which ADWs Have Gained The Most During COVID-19 Pandemic? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Churchill Downs Considers Increasing Kentucky Derby Capacity

On Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that businesses would be allowed to increase indoor capacity from 50 to 60 percent. According to the Courier-Journal, Churchill Downs is now considering increasing fan capacity at this year's Kentucky Derby, scheduled for Saturday, May 1.

Previously, Churchill had announced that 40 to 50 percent of the track's reserve seating capacity would be sold for Derby day. Now, that capacity might be increased to 60 percent, though a specific number of seats has not been decided. General admission tickets will not be sold until closer to the date of the Kentucky Derby.

“With the governor's announcement yesterday, we've started to analyze how we can flex up and remain nimble for the weeks to come for any additional charges and restrictions as that might come out,” Churchill president Mike Anderson told the Courier-Journal. “We'll continue to follow the guidelines for both local and state health agencies to make sure we are following all the COVID compliance.”

No fans were permitted at the 2020 edition of the Kentucky Derby, which was held on Sept. 5, due to the pandemic.

Indiana Grand Adjusts Race Dates, Off-Turf Wagering Rules, Cuts Pick 4 Takeout

Several changes for the upcoming 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino were approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission at its Tuesday meeting regarding race dates and wagering and takeout rules. Indiana Grand was initially set to hold live racing Saturday, May 1 during GI Kentucky Derby Day. However, due to uncertainty directly related to COVID-19, a request was submitted to the IHRC to reallocate that date to Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, which will become closing day for the 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand.

The IHRC also approved a rule change that dictates races taken off the turf once the wagering pools have closed for the Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 will now become “all” wagers. The Pick 6 will now become a scenario where “all” horses in that race will be considered a winner. Formerly, when a horse scratched from a race taken off the turf after the close of the wagering pools, the customer was given a substitute of the post time favorite.

Indiana Grand introduced a lower takeout for the Pick 5 in 2020 at 11.99%, which remains in effect. In addition, the IHRC approved a reduced takeout for the Pick 4 along with the Pick 6 Jackpot wagers to 15% beginning in 2021.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance our betting platforms and with the growing popularity of our multiple-race wagers, and we felt a reduced takeout on these two wagers would be very attractive to our racing customers,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “We've seen a tremendous increase in interest in these types of wagers at Indiana Grand and are excited to make them a better value for our fan base.”

Live racing returns to Indiana Grand Tuesday, Apr. 13. Racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. ET Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m.

The post Indiana Grand Adjusts Race Dates, Off-Turf Wagering Rules, Cuts Pick 4 Takeout appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Live Racing In New Mexico Scheduled To Resume On April 23 At SunRay Park

On Feb. 25, 2021, it was announced that restrictions regarding gaming in the state of New Mexico would be loosened. The news was emphatically embraced by the New Mexico horse racing industry as purse accounts will now experience an influx of funding not seen since March 16, 2020.

Newly named Chairman of the New Mexico Racing Commission, Sam Bregman, said: “We are very excited to get live horse racing going again in the state of New Mexico. We look forward to getting the industry back on track starting with the April 23, 2021 opening day at SunRay Park in Farmington, NM.”

The New Mexico Racing Commission intends to make decisions regarding the SunRay Park purse schedule, condition book, post times, racing officials, and wagering format at the upcoming March 18, 2021 regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

At its Feb. 18 meeting, the NMRC officially cancelled the 2020-2021 race meet at Sunland Park just outside El Paso, NM, which never began as scheduled on Dec. 26 because of COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

Ruidoso Downs, The Downs at Albuquerque, and Zia Park all have dates on the calendar for 2021 as well.

The post Live Racing In New Mexico Scheduled To Resume On April 23 At SunRay Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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