The chairman of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is dropping plans to begin an Internet wagering business because it might be perceived as a conflict of interest, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. Robert Tourtelot, a Los Angeles attorney and chairman of the CHRB, made the announcement in Pomona at the end of the board's regular monthly meeting.
Tourtelot had filed a fictitious business name and obtained an Internet domain name for a company--Wagerbytel--intended to provide betting services on horse racing via the telephone or the World Wide Web, which would have required contracts with some of the industry groups he now regulates, as well as approval of the regulatory board he now heads.
Tourtelot announced Friday that he gave up the business idea after the Times asked him about its propriety. He had previously told the Times that he saw no real conflict because he wouldn't start the business until after his term on the board expired in July 2001. He said his record on the CHRB shows that he has been fair and wouldn't curry favor with industry groups to get future business.