Arizona Dept. of Racing approves Turf Paradise/Monarch simulcast contract; decision likely to be challenged

The Arizona Department of Racing at a meeting on Thursday approved a simulcast contract between Turf Paradise and Monarch Content Management that could lead to the restoration of some popular betting signals in the state, but the action is likely to be challenged by a rival track in the state, according to racing officials.

The approval of the contract came at a meeting in which Turf’s plans to run an 84-day meet in 2021 was also ratified by the department. The meet is set to begin on Jan. 4 and run through May 1.

The Monarch contract would make the signals from Santa Anita, Del Mar, Golden Gate, Laurel Park, and Gulfstream Park, among others, available to bettors, one year after a dispute between Turf Paradise and Arizona Downs in Prescott led to the simulcasts from those tracks being pulled from betting menus at offtrack betting parlors and account-wagering companies.

Max Hartgraves, the public information officer of the state’s Department of Gaming, which includes the racing department, said that Arizona Downs has told the commission it plans to challenge the approval of the contract. If the contract is challenged, then the signals would not be allowed to be made available until the department of racing makes a ruling on the challenge, Hartgraves said, which could come in the next month.

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In 2019, Monarch pulled its signals from offtrack betting locations controlled by Arizona Downs due to its dissatisfaction over the siting of the OTBs in relation to existing OTBs licensed by Turf Paradise. In response, the legislature passed a law requiring all simulcast sellers to offer their signals to all licensed operators in the state, leading Monarch to pull its signals from Turf Paradise’s locations as well.

Officials of Monarch did not respond to phone inquiries on Friday.

Vince Francia, the general manager of Turf Paradise, said that the track is going ahead with plans to offer the signals once the department of racing reviews and approves the tracks contained in Turf’s simulcast contracts. The Monarch contract was approved as part of a 4 1/2-hour live-streamed meeting of the racing commission on Thursday, and Francia said that reaction to the approval was swift.

“Everyone on social media, everyone watching, they all sent us well wishes and are really excited to get those signals back,” Francia said.

David Johnson, the track’s assistant general manager, said that Turf has 55 licensed OTB outlets in the state, but that only 36 are currently in operation due to the coronavirus pandemic.