Fees for Youbet's light bettors

Youbet.com has sent out a notification to some of its light customers that it will begin charging them a monthly fee to watch the account wagering service's live broadcasts of horse races.

The notice went out to some customers this week. The charges will range from a maximum of $14.95 a month for unlimited broadcasts, to $7.95 for 10 hours of broadcasts a month.

Chuck Champion, Youbet's chief executive officer, said that customers who wager more than $350 a month did not receive the notice and will receive waivers of the fees as long as they continue to wager at that level, or bet more than $2,500 a year. "It's not intended to tax the wagering customer," Champion said. "What it is intended to do is put a value on our services for the people who are not wagering, who are watching 50 or 60 hours of our broadcasts a month. We believe that service has value."

Customers of Youbet will have until Dec. 1 to select a subscription plan, Youbet officials said.