Bally's-Las Vegas

Bally's-Las Vegas will host the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship VI on Jan. 21-22, 2005.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has announced that the finals of the sixth annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship will be held on Jan. 21-22, 2005 at Bally's-Las Vegas. This will be the third straight year that Bally's has hosted the event.

Changes in store for the National Handicapping Championship VI will include a significant boost in purse money and a new television production on ESPN, the NTRA announced in a press release on August 18th.

"Bally's is proud to host the National Handicapping Championship once again," said John Avello, Bally's-Las Vegas's director of operations for race and sports. "In a remarkably sort time, berths in this event have become extremely coveted among horseplayers from coast to coast. We look forward to another memorable competition."

The new purse of NHC VI will be an estimated $400,000, with a first prize of $200,000 - up from $240,000 and $100,000 last year. All the action will be boiled down to a one-hour special telecast on ESPN scheduled for February 2005. The production is expected to be similar to what viewers of the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour are accustomed to seeing on television.

"The National Handicapping Championship is reality television at its finest," said Keith Chamblin, senior VP of marketing and industry relations for the NTRA. "The event brings together a diverse group of more than 200 passionate, opinionated, and competitive participants representing virtually every region and racing association in North America. The addition of ESPN will expose general sports fans to the game within our game - handicapping."

At least 49 NTRA member tracks, OTBs, and websites will host a total of no less than 87 different NHC qualifying contests and tournaments throughout 2004. An estimated 50,000 horseplayers will participate in at least one event during the course of the year, with only around 200 advancing to the national finals in Las Vegas. Unlike other tournaments, handicappers cannot buy their way into the National Handicapping Championship, and there is never an entry fee. Players must qualify to participate in the national finals, but once they do, their expenses are paid for by the host site of their qualifying event. Expenses include the entry fee for the NHC finals, airfare to Las Vegas, and a hotel room at Bally's for the duration of the festivities.

This year's finalists will be seeking to unseat current NHC champion Kent Meyer of Sioux City, Iowa. The winner will become the next DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year - an honor that will be presented at the Eclipse Awards early in 2005.

"Horseplayers drive our industry, and that's why we're delighted to celebrate and reward some of our game's sharpest, most devoted customers," said Daily Racing Form chairman and publisher Steven Crist. "With this year's highest-ever prize pool and the Handicapper of the Year title at stake, the National Handicapping Championship will generate a highly charged atmosphere, and there's no finer venue for it than Bally's, which always does an outstanding job."

Some of the things qualifiers for NHC VI can anticipate at Bally's will include a welcome cocktail party and a closing awards banquet. The Bally's Race Book is a state of the art facility with tiered seating, individual television monitors, and an extremely professional and experienced staff.

Still yet to be determined is NHC VI's overall prize breakdown beyond the $200,000 grand prize. The new prize structure will be announced in he coming months pending the announcement of the actual purse money. The NTRA also is seeking feedback from past qualifiers on what its new prize breakdown should be. In the past, prize money has been divided among the top 10 individual finishers, the top three teams, and assorted daily and bonus prize winners. This year, the NTRA says they plan to pay more than 10 individuals. The NTRA's goal, as always, will be to "spread prize money around" as much as possible.