Travers Day Numbers Shatter Records
Figures out of New York's Saratoga Race Course from Travers Day show there is still a high demand for horse racing.
In the long and storied running of the Travers, the race had never seen a crowd greater than the 60,486 who attended it on Saturday. The record crowd wagered an all-time Saratoga record of $8,642,160. The old marks of 54,116 in attendance and $7,371,991 wagered were shattered.
The on-track figures reflect wagering on Saratoga races only and do not include any on-site simulcast wagering.
The total commingled handle of $34,529,273 was also an all-time record, beating the $28,281,323 wagered nationally last year.
Wall Street Journal Touches on Racing
The August 27 edition of the Wall Street Journal provided an in-depth story on the future of horse racing and how many companies are turning to the Internet to appeal to a younger crowd while those who attend live racing grow older.
The story pointed out that the industry saw a handle of $14.2 billion last year, up from $8.3 billion a decade earlier. Despite the increase in action during the last decade, the industry is constantly in competition with casinos and other gaming ventures that provide the instant
gratification that attracts the younger audience.
Companies like WinTicket.com and Youbet.com have positioned themselves nicely to harness the combined potential of the Internet and horse racing, according to the story.
NY Times Piece Casts Shadow On Harness Future
While the Wall Street Journal was busy covering the future of interactive race wagering, the New York Times recently published a report that could mean more bad news for some racetracks.
According to the Times, New York Gov. George Pataki and some New York legislators
are considering three different gaming-related initiatives, but only two are expected to pass.
The state is considering joining forces with other states to take part in the multi-state Powerball Lottery and is also looking into the possibility of allowing the Seneca Indians to build casinos in western New York. The lone gaming-related plan, which could get left out in the cold, is a move to allow tracks to install VLTs (Video Lottery Terminals) on site.
According to the Times, the lottery and Indian bills have the best chance of getting passed, which could mean bad news for harness tracks in the state that are struggling to survive without slot machines on their premises.
Kentucky Derby Means Big Money for Area
The results of a long-awaited study commissioned by Churchill Downs have been released. The study focused on the impact of the Kentucky Derby on the economy of Louisville, Jefferson County and the surrounding area.
The findings are somewhat astonishing. Wilkerson & Associates, the company that prepared the report, found that the Derby and the associated events during its three-day celebration contributed $217.8 million to the area's economy.
According to the study, the $200-plus million came from the spending of fans, horse owners, trainers, corporate sponsors and media representatives. Their direct spending was $137.8 million, according to the report, and the accompanying "ripple effect" of indirect spending produced another $80.1 million.
The study indicated that the Derby generated 3,608 jobs in the Kentucky-Indiana area, with travelers accounting for 2,731 of those jobs.
Total wages and salary income from Derby week were more than $54.1 million, with state governments picking up more than $20 million and local governments paying more than $9 million during that period.
This year's Derby drew 153,210 people to Churchill Downs. The previous day's Kentucky Oaks card drew 102,904 and a Festival in the Field concert in the infield drew 23,630.
Turf Paradise Owner Files Suit
Friction between Phoenix-area racetrack Turf Paradise and the state of Arizona is starting to heat up.
The majority owner of the track has filed a lawsuit seeking to keep the sate from blocking agreements the track has with Indian casinos.
Jerry Simms, the track owner, has filed a complaint against Gov. Jane Hull and the state's department of gaming. In the suit, Simms claims the department of gaming is an unconstitutional body and that the state can't keep him from negotiating gambling compacts with Indian tribes.
The suit comes after a U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of the state.
That ruling, though, invalidates a section of Arizona law that gives the department of gaming the power to regulate casinos and check vendors' backgrounds, said Simms' lawyer, Gerald Alston.
The controversy between the two parties started in March when Simms was denied a vendor's license in March by the gaming board. He was denied the claim, according to the state, because of allegations that he has ties to a potential Mafia front man and was involved in a bribery scandal. Without a license, Simms was unable to continue off-track betting contracts with the casinos.
Eriksson Heading Back to Sweden After Successful Run in U.S.
One of the greatest harness track trainers of the last 15 years is leaving the United States once and for all to return home to a simpler life.
Per Eriksson, winning trainer of three Habletonians since 1985, is going to finish his obligations for the current season before heading to Mantorp, Sweden, a city south of Stockholm.
The 40-year-old Swede said he will still train horses for the Breeders Crown and Valley Victory. He said he has "loved" his time in America but the commitment was getting too hard on his family. Eriksson has four children with his wife, Tina.
Eriksson will be working at a training center he purchased in 1987 in Sweden.
Account Wagering Could Come to West Virginia
If legal gray areas are cleared, telephone account wagering could be offered through Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort.
The track has expressed an interest in offering the service and requested an inquiry by the state racing commission concerning language in the state's rules of racing.
The rules allow for telephone wagering, and for bettors to set up accounts with tracks to deposit money with which to make bets.
West Virginia's racing law, however, has no such provisions. Normally, rules are written to implement laws passed by the state legislature. One official said the language in West Virginia's rules permitting account wagering was picked up by mistake from another state's rules.
Officials with the West Virginia Racing Commission are seeking assistance from the attorney general's office after state laws were searched and no provisions legalizing telephone account wagering were found.
Poll Favors Slots at Tracks
If lawmakers in Ohio take their cue from opinion polls, it won't be too long before there are slot machines at Ohio racetracks.
The Columbus Dispatch conducted a survey and asked citizens if they would support a move to put 1,500 slot machines in each of Ohio's seven racetracks. Forty-eight percent of those who responded were in favor of the move, while 43 percent were against it. The gap got even greater when people were asked if they would go along with the plan if profits generated from the slots were guaranteed to go to Ohio schools. With assurances that the money
would go to schools, 69 percent were in favor while 30 percent were opposed.
New York City, Maryland Seek Help for Betting Operations
New York legislators are contemplating a bill that would allow tracks in the state to put slot machines on their premises. But New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has other plans. He said if the state allows for slots at local tracks, then off-track bettor parlors in the city should also be
allowed to install them.
Racing industry representatives in Maryland are taking a similar approach to help their cause. A group of them went before a Senate committee recently to tell of the dire straits the sector is in. The group told the committee that slots or other alternative gaming is needed at tracks in order for facilities to remain operational. Other options, such as returning subsidies
that have already been taken away this year, were also discussed.
According to the Baltimore Sun, though, the members were given a "stern lecture" by the co-chairman of the committee studying gambling. The Baltimore Sun said the members were told that the racing industry should get its house in order, quit fighting among itself, make some progress on its own and then return to ask for help.
Indian Tribes Help Table Ban on Internet Gambling
Seeing a value in their own Internet future, California Indian tribes helped table a ban on Internet gambling in the Golden State.
The Senate Governmental Organization Committee this year tabled a Los Angeles assemblyman's quest to make gambling on the Internet illegal.
Indian tribes who want to determine whether online gambling is feasible for them backed the committee's action.
The state assembly passed the legislation earlier this year. Coupled with Gov. Gray Davis' recent decision to allow online betting on horse racing, tribes are worried they could be shut out of cyberspace and lose business. The legislation banning Internet gaming would exempt horseracing.