Handle at California tracks trailing 2021 figures

Handle at all racetracks in California have failed to keep pace with 2021 through August, according to figures announced at the California Horse Racing Board meeting last Thursday.

All-sources handle, including ontrack, simulcast and account wagering, was $2.11 billion, down 3 percent from $2.17 billion through August 2021. Account wagering, a source of growth in the last 20 years, was down 10 percent from $864.6 million in 2021 to $778.4 million this year.

Ontrack handle grew by 60 percent, from $89.4 million in 2021 to $142.7 million this year. Some tracks had limited attendance in early 2021 because of the pandemic, which reduced ontrack handle.

All-sources handle in August was down 7 percent, from $354.2 million in 2021 to $330.5 million this year. Account wagering handle and ontrack handle were both down 4 percent.

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