Tag: fanduel

Report: Outlandishly High Pari-Mutual Pools Might Have Been Sparked By FanDuel ‘Glitch’

Outlandishly high amounts of money that were bet into exotic pools at Thoroughbred and Standardbred tracks across the country during a several-hour time window Wednesday might have been the result of a feeding frenzy of opportunistic gamblers trying to take advantage of an alleged “glitch” in the FanDuel Racing account wagering system that debited only the base cost of a wager from a customer's account instead of correctly pricing multiple-combination bets at much higher amounts.

Although both FanDuel executives and state regulators were largely mum on the subject of the multi-million-dollar pool spikes as of Thursday afternoon, Ed DeRosa of Horse Racing Nation (HRN) was able to provide insight into the possibility that a profound technological shortcoming might have been the root cause of the massive spike in betting.

DeRosa got the scoop on the potential fraud by publishing screen shots from the account of a now-suspended FanDuel customer who shared betting information from Wednesday under the condition of anonymity.

“The user was able to wheel the entire field for only the cost of the base wager,” DeRosa reported in HRN Nov. 16. “In other words, even though an all-all-all-all dime superfecta in a seven-horse field should cost $84, the bet cost only 10 cents via FanDuel Racing.”

DeRosa further reported that the alleged glitch was made apparent “when five super-exotic wagering pools at four different racetracks handled a historic amount of money, but FanDuel Racing account users exploited the situation in other pools and at other tracks as well.”

Among the Thoroughbred tracks whose pools were inordinately large on Nov. 15 were Churchill Downs, Finger Lakes and Mahoning Valley. The Standardbred tracks Monticello Raceway and The Meadows also reported outsized handles.

Many of the bloated pools were first reported anecdotally on social media by horseplayers on Wednesday afternoon. Although they could only guess as to the possible causes, most folks agreed that the betting handles were far out of line with established norms.

By way of comparison, DeRosa reported in HRN, “Churchill Downs handled $751,000 on the [Nov. 15] race 4 Super High 5, a huge number given that the track handled $967,598 on the bet type for this year's [GI] Kentucky Derby and $118,698 on the [GI] Kentucky Oaks.”

Superfecta and trifecta pools also appeared to have been targeted.

“The two things all the wagers had in common is that they came through FanDuel Racing and involved liberal use of the 'all' button in each position of the wagers,” DeRosa reported.

Prior to HRN revealing the purported glitch, speculation as to the cause of the conspicuously gaudy bets included allegations of money laundering, possible mistakes by computer-robotic wagering players, and misplaced decimal points in the bet-processing code.

On Wednesday, FanDuel Racing put out a statement on that said the company had “identified technical issues and potential fraud related to wagering pools and took the appropriate steps to stop wagering via its platform. This issue is no longer ongoing, and wagering has resumed. The company is undertaking a full review of this matter and will be cooperating with regulatory authorities.”

On Thursday, TDN contacted a FanDuel spokesperson for a follow-up and also emailed commission-level regulators in New York and Kentucky to ask if they were investigating the issue. None of the queries yielded replies prior to deadline for this story.

Curtis Linnell, who is the executive vice president of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB), which monitors integrity and security in the sport, told TDN in a brief phone interview Thursday that he could not discuss specifics beyond explaining that the TRPB is “actively looking at the occurrences on behalf of regulator and racetrack clients who are involved.”

The post Report: Outlandishly High Pari-Mutual Pools Might Have Been Sparked By FanDuel ‘Glitch’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arcangelo, Arabian Knight and Ushba Tesoro Among 205 Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries List

Led by MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate), GISW Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), and MG1SW Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), 205 horses, including 59 from overseas, and four 2022 champions who return to defend their titles, have been pre-entered for the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park. The Breeders' Cup will be televised live domestically on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and FanDuel TV. Additionally, the NBC World Feed will be sent to more than 150 countries around the globe. Click here to view all of the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships Pre-Entered Fields.

Eighteen horses have been pre-entered for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, led by Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo, who took command of the 3-year-old male division with four consecutive wins, highlighted by back-to-back scores in the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers Stakes for trainer Jena Antonucci.

Two California-based 3-year-olds also figure prominently in the Classic picture. Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.'s Arabian Knight was defeated by Pin Oak Stud LLC's Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park, but the 'TDN Rising Star' triumphed over him in the GI FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic S. at Del Mar.

Ushba Tesoro | Horsephotos

Also present is Japanese-bred Ushba Tesoro for trainer Noboru Takagi. The winner of this year's G1 Dubai World Cup was last seen prepping for this spot with a victory Sept. 25 in the Nippon TV Hai at Funabashi Racecourse in Japan.

The deep list of 3-year-olds continues with Mage (Good Magic), winner of the GI Kentucky Derby; Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), who captured the GI Pennsylvania Derby; Japanese contender Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), who won the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan; White Abarrio (Race Day), winner of the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga; and Bright Future (Curlin), who captured the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. upstate.

Top female stars head the list of pre-entrants for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. GISW Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) has won five of six starts on the West Coast this year, and four of those were at Santa Anita. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, she comes in off a 5 1/4-length score in the GII Zenyatta S.

Heading West, Juddmonte's 4-year-old Idiomatic (Curlin), trained by Brad Cox, emerged as a star in this division with four graded stakes wins, including back-to-back Grade I victories in the Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga and the Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland.

Randomized | Sarah Andrew

Trainer Chad Brown has pre-entered two from Klaravich Stables, Inc.: the 3-year-old Randomized and the 5-year-old Search Results (Flatter). A daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist, Randomized has won three straight races, highlighted by a win in the Alabama S. at Saratoga. Search Results, sixth in last year's Distaff, was a recent winner of the GIII Locust Grove S. at Churchill Downs.

In the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, MG1SW Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) leads the European contingent along with Shadwell Estate Company's MG1SW Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Amo Racing's G1SW King of Steel (Wootoon Bassett {GB}). The U.S. squad is well-represented with MGISW Up to the Mark (Not This Time) and MGISW War Like Goddess (English Channel) also pre-entered.

In the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, Sunday Racing Co. Ltd.'s multiple group stakes winner in Japan Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) earned two Breeders' Cup Challenge automatic berths at Tokyo Race Course when she captured the G1 Victoria Mile for an automatic starting position into the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and then received a slot in the Mile when she won the June 7 G1 Yasuda Kinen S. Also entered is MG1SW Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and from the U.S., MGISW Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed).

Cody's Wish | Sarah Andrew

Headlining the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is Godolphin's defending champion Cody's Wish (Curlin). He could tangle with GI Preakness S. champ National Treasure (Quality Road), and GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Practical Move (Practical Joke).

In the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, 3-year-old Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has registered back-to-back group 1 scores at York and ParisLongchamp. She could face the John and Thady Gosden-trained English and French multiple group 1 winner Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Canadian-based MGISW Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) and the U.S.-based GISP Didia (Arg) (Orpen).

In the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint includes Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who won last year's race by 2 1/2 lengths for trainer Chad Brown. Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) defeated Goodnight Olive in the GI Derby City Distaff S. back in May and will look to challenge her once more.

MGISW Caravel (Mizzen Mast) was a shocking 42-1 gate-to-wire winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. She's back for trainer Brad Cox and the 6-year-old might grapple with English group 1 winner Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) and Japanese multiple group stakes winner Jasper Krone (Frosted).

Finally on Saturday, in the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Juddmonte's MGISW Elite Power (Curlin) looks to defend as he squares off against MGISW Dr. Schivel (Violence).

Muth | Benoit

Standouts on the 'Future Stars Friday' program include four Grade I winners, who were named 'TDN Rising Stars'. Topping the 12 who are pre-entries for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile list is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Locked (Gun Runner), Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.'s American Pharoah S. winner Muth (Good Magic), GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity victor Prince of Monaco (Speightstown)—racing for SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables LLC et al—and Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC's Champagne S. winner Timberlake (Into Mischief).

Headliners for the Juvenile Turf Sprint (24 pre-entries) include: Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), for trainer George Weaver, who took the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot.

The GI NetJets Juvenile Fillies includes 15 pre-entries, marked by the presence of 'TDN Rising Stars' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) and V V's Dream (Mitole).

The GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf has 25 pre-entries, including GSW Buchu (Justify), GISW She Feels Pretty (Karakonite {Jpn}) and English group 2 winner Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}).

Friday's finale, the GI Prevagen Breeders' Juvenile Turf, has drawn 17 pre-entries, including 'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road) and GISW Carson's Run (Cupid)). MGSP Unquestionable (Fr) (Wooton Bassett {GB}) is one of many representing Europe.

“Once again, an outstanding group of horses has been pre-entered for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships and we look forward to two days of fantastic racing at Santa Anita Park,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “The competition has never been stronger and the prestige of entering the Breeders' Cup winner's circle has never been higher. We want to thank the talented men and women across the globe who provide the ecosystem of care that enables these magnificent Thoroughbreds to compete at the top of their game. We can't wait to gather next weekend to watch the world's best Thoroughbreds put on a spectacular show.”

Race Order and Wagering Menu Announced…

The official order of races and wagering menu for the 2023 Breeders' Cup were also announced Wednesday. There will be a total of 10 races (five Breeders' Cup races) on the first day of the Championships–“Future Stars Friday”–and 12 races on the Saturday program (nine Breeders' Cup races).

The Friday program begins at 2:30 a.m. ET with four undercard races. A Santa Anita allowance race (Race 10) will conclude the first-day card with a post time of 8:10 p.m. ET.

Championship Saturday's first post is 1:10 p.m. ET and begins with two undercard races. Saturday's program will conclude with a Santa Anita allowance race (Race 12) with a post time of 8:30 p.m. ET.

This year, a total of 27 countries, including Canada, England, France, Germany, and Ireland, will be offering pari-mutuel, commingled wagering on the World Championships through the Breeders' Cup Global Pool.

Nine other jurisdictions will be offering separate pool wagering: Argentina, Australia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay, and Turkey.

The 2023 wagering menu will include a Breeders' Cup All-Turf $3 Pick 3 on Friday. The three races, in order, are the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (Race 5), the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Race 7), and the GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Race 9).

The Breeders' Cup All-Turf Pick 4 on Saturday is a $.50 minimum wager and will package four of the best turf races in the world together. The four races, in order, are the GI Breeders' Cup Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf (Race 4), the Breeders' Cup FanDuel Mile (Race 6), and the GI Breeders' Cup Turf (Race 8), and the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (Race 10).

For the first time, the Breeders' Cup will offer the Breeders' Cup All-Dirt Pick 4 on Saturday, which is a $.50 minimum wager. The four races, in order, are the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (Race 5), the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (Race 7), the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (Race 9), and the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (Race 11).

Both the All-Turf Pick 4 and the All-Dirt Pick 4 will have a 15% takeout.

Breeders' Cup will also offer a third, middle Pick 5 on Saturday, starting with Race 3. The early Pick 5 will start with Race 1 and the late Pick 5 with Race 7. Last year's late Pick 5 on Saturday generated a $4.8 million pool while the late Pick 4 offered a $3 million pool.

Championships Race Order (All Times Eastern)…

The first Championship race on “Future Stars Friday” will be the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (5:00 p.m.) followed by the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (5:40 p.m.), the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (6:20 p.m.), the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (7:00 p.m.) and the GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (7:40 p.m.).

Championship Saturday begins with two undercard races followed by the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (2:30 p.m.), the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (3:10 p.m.), the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (3:50 p.m.), the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (4:30 p.m.), the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (5:10 p.m.), the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (5:50 p.m.), the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (6:40 p.m.), the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (7:25 p.m.), and the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (8:00 p.m.).

The post Arcangelo, Arabian Knight and Ushba Tesoro Among 205 Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries List appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Churchill Downs Race And Sports Book Opens Thursday

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will place the state's first ceremonial sports wager Thursday during the grand opening ceremony of the Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book. The ceremony begins at 9:45 a.m. and the governor will place his wager at 10 a.m.

Other dignitaries expected to be in attendance include Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and the First Lady of Louisville Rachel Greenberg; Ray A. Perry, Secretary, Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet; Jonathan Rabinowitz, Chairman, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission; Representative Al Gentry; and Cleo Battle, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism.

Area sports celebrities Darrell Griffith, Bobby Perry, Dale Romans, Will Wolford and Eric Wood are expected to be on hand as well.

The Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book is located in the remodeled Aristides Lounge on the second floor of the track's Clubhouse. The 8,755 sq. ft. space showcases a massive TV wall, including a new 7′ x 24′ LED video screen and a dozen 90″ televisions. The large area has an additional 16 large-format TVs for sports and horse racing, 15 sports betting kiosks, seven horse betting kiosks, six betting windows with tellers, a bar and seating for more than 280 guests.

The Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book will be open to the general public Thursday at 11 a.m. and betting will continue until 11:30 p.m. Guests must be at least 18 years old to wager and enter the Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book.

Online sports betting in Kentucky will begin Sept. 28. Churchill Downs Incorporated has partnered with FanDuel, Penn Sports Interactive and Fanatics as its three online sports wagering service providers.

The post Churchill Downs Race And Sports Book Opens Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Illinois Purse Increases: ‘A Band-Aid On A Gushing Wound’

Purses will be on the short-term rise at the tracks in Illinois, thanks to a pair of recent money recovery efforts initiated by the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA).

One increase at the current Thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne Race Course that will be effective June 15-July 15 involves an 18% across-the-board purse bump derived from a claw-back of funds related to the closure of Arlington International Racecourse.

A separate initiative required passage of a bill in the Illinois Legislature on its final day of the session last month. That action transferred $5.1 million of a surplus in the state's Horse Racing Fund to purses at both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred meets at Hawthorne, plus the Thoroughbred meet at FanDuel Racing (more commonly known as Fairmount Park).

David McCaffrey, the ITHA's executive director, told commissioners at Thursday's Illinois Racing Board (IRB) meeting that while horsemen are grateful for any help they can get, the influxes will only provide temporary financial relief.

“This is a terrific band-aid,” McCaffrey said, speaking specifically about the money from the Horse Racing Fund. “Make no mistake, it's a band-aid on a gushing wound that is Illinois racing, because things are at their all-time worst right now.”

According to an explanation posted in the ITHA's website, After Arlington closed in September 2021, that track's corporate management “attempted to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars from the horsemen's purse account. Arlington eventually folded in its attempt to keep the money after ITHA pursued litigation against Arlington, compelling the track to release the money. ITHA is now directing the remaining settlement funds to Hawthorne purses, which will account for the purse increase from June 15 to July 15.”

The separate $5.1-million transfer comes from the Horse Racing Fund, which McCaffrey said is largely derived from a 1.5% tax on all bets placed on Illinois racing. Traditionally, that fund accumulates and operates at surplus, and it had grown to “about $10 million” by the beginning of 2023, McCaffrey said.

Starting back in January, McCaffrey said, The ITHA, the IRB, and other stakeholders had lobbied for the passage of a law that would direct about half of the surplus toward Thoroughbred and Standardbred purses.

The ITHA's website noted that the Hawthorne share for the Thoroughbred purse account will be $2.295 million, and that the increase from the fund will go into effect “possibly starting in mid-July, upon the expiration of the [separate] purse increase beginning June 15.”

Racinos became legal in Illinois in 2019, but they aren't up and running yet at Hawthorne or FanDuel.

“Hopefully, it gives us a bridge to get to racinos when they start producing some revenue,” McCaffrey said.

The post Illinois Purse Increases: ‘A Band-Aid On A Gushing Wound’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights