California handle up 20 percent from first six months of 2020
All-sources handle at all California venues increased 20 percent, to $1.53 billion, in the first six months of the year compared to a similar period in 2020.
The data was announced by Scott Chaney, the executive director of the California Horse Racing Board, at a meeting on Wednesday.
The 2021 figures were boosted by a significant increase in the number of race programs, from 203 in 2020 to 270 this year. In 2020, the pandemic disrupted Thoroughbred meetings at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita and the harness meeting at Cal-Expo. Handle at all of the state’s racetracks was $1.27 billion in the first six months of 2020.
This year, Golden Gate Fields did not start its winter-spring meeting until Jan. 15 because of a coronavirus outbreak in the stables in late 2020, but otherwise the state’s racetracks have not had disruptions to live racing.
Since early April, tracks have been allowed to host an increasing number of customers.
Handle at Thoroughbred tracks was $1.34 billion, a gain of 24.5 percent compared to $1.08 billion in the first six months of 2020. Ontrack handle at Thoroughbred venues was down 15.4 percent, from $43.3 million in 2020 to $36.6 million this year.
In 2020, tracks operated without restrictions until the second week of March when the pandemic was declared a worldwide emergency. In the first three months of this year, attendance at Santa Anita was restricted to owners with horses participating on a given day.
Account wagering handle increased 22 percent earlier this year, from $531.6 million in 2020 to $648.4 million this year.