Churchill, Magna sell signal

AmericaTab, the operator of a number of account-wagering services, including Brisbet.com and Winticket.com, has reached an agreement that will allow it to accept wagers on the tracks owned by Churchill Downs and Magna Entertainment Corp., the companies announced Wednesday.

AmericaTab is the first account-wagering service to reach an agreement with TrackNet Media, a company formed this year by Churchill and Magna to market the racing signals from their tracks. The agreement will allow AmericaTab's sites to offer wagering and the live video feed of races held at Magna and Churchill tracks.

Details of the agreement were not disclosed, and officials declined to provide terms.

The agreement was reached about two weeks before the opening of Churchill's spring meet, and about three weeks before the running of the Kentucky Derby, the highest-handling race in North America.

Churchill plans to launch its own account-wagering service later this month, and Magna already operates an account-wagering platform, XpressBet. Because of those operations, some account-wagering operators had feared that TrackNet would withhold the right to its signals in order to drive customers to the Churchill and Magna sites.

Scott Daruty, the chief executive of TrackNet, said that the company is in negotiations with several other account-wagering operators, including Youbet.com and Television Games Network. Churchill had previously provided its signals to TVG on an exclusive basis, but is allowing its contracts with the company to expire this year.