Hollywood, TOC reach deal

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park and the Thoroughbred Owners of California reached an agreement Tuesday on the division of revenue from telephone and Internet bets placed through Television Games Network and Youbet.com.

The Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting was to begin on Wednesday, and an agreement was needed for phone betting to start. The meeting is the first at Hollywood Park in which California residents will be allowed to place bets via telephone and Internet, following legislation passed last year.

The board of directors of the TOC met via telephone on Tuesday morning to approve a proposal reached late Monday between TOC president John Van de Kamp, president of the TOC, and and Rick Baedeker, president of Hollywood Park.

"We're breathing a sigh of relief," Baedeker said.

Van de Kamp said that California horsemen will receive 5.3 percent of bets placed by California residents on Hollywood races, 4.5 percent from bets placed by Californians on out-of-state races, and 1.8 percent on bets placed throughout the nation on California races. The deal covers the Hollywood Park spring-summer and fall meetings.

"They are favorable to California, but fair," Baedeker said of the terms. "No one was greedy."

The horseman will receive less than they did in the deal TOC negotiated earlier this year with Magna Entertainment, the parent company of Santa Anita and the Xpressbet advance deposit wagering service.

Van de Kamp said the horsemen's percentages for Hollywood are lower because TVG has more exposure through satellite and cable television than Xpressbet, so horsemen expect a greater handle.

TOC continues to negotiate with Del Mar, Fairplex Park, and Oak Tree for those upcoming meetings. The California fair circuit has yet to reach an agreement with an ADW provider.