Association of Racing Commissioners International announces sports betting subsidiary

The Association of Racing Commissioners International has launched a subsidiary modeled on itself that would issue recommendations for government agencies overseeing sports betting in their states.

The organization, called the Sports Betting Regulators Association, will have its first meeting July 10, concurrent with the summer meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, the RCI said. The RCI board gave its approval to pursue the launch of the subsidiary shortly after the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states should be allowed to authorize sports betting.

Since the ruling, 33 states have passed laws allowing sports betting within their borders. The states include a number of jurisdictions where horse racing also is allowed. In several of those states, including New York, the same agency regulates both horse racing and sports betting.

The RCI is an umbrella organization for racing states, and it serves as a best-practices agency for the sport of racing. Starting in several committees and ending with the full board, the RCI recommends model rules for horse racing regulation in areas ranging from licensing to drug testing. By and large, member commissions adopt the recommendations.

Ed Martin, the RCI’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that the creation of the new organization was a natural fit for the RCI, considering that racing commissions have expertise in licensing, integrity issues, and “transparency.”

“It’s a new area, an area where horse racing regulators have tremendous experience,” Martin said.

Late in 2020, Congress passed a bill creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, a national agency that was given broad powers to promulgate rules and administer programs overseeing safety issues, drug testing, and drug-testing enforcement. Those responsibilities overlap many of the RCI’s, and the role of the organization is expected to wane considerably when HISA is up and running on July 1.