Talks over a five-year lease for Monmouth Park have collapsed amid squabbling between the state, its horsemen, and the operator of the Jersey Shore racetrack, according to New Jersey racing officials.
Betfair, the online wagering operation, has made offers to California racetracks and horsemen to apply a 10-percent commission on bets made through its betting exchange, a far higher rate than the company applies to its customers in overseas jurisdictions, the company's U.S. president, Stephen Burn, said on Wednesday afternoon during a panel discussion at the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming.
Racetracks will not know where to set their takeout rates until the industry conducts a scientifically valid study of the issue using economic field trials and current data on betting behavior, participants on a panel focusing on takeout said on Wednesday morning at the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming here.
The Jockeys' Guild has offered to open its books to an independent auditor in response to comments by churchill Downs Inc. that the guild has declined to reveal how it spends voluntary contributions from racetracks.
Have your say in this year's Horse of the Year debate. Havre de Grace? Game on Dude? Royal Delta? Get past performances, key replays, top Beyer speed figures and more.
The Woodbine Entertainment Group and a simulcast-marketing company reached an agreement late Wednesday that will avert a blackout in Canada of the popular signals from Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, an official involved in the negotiations said Thursday.
The Jockeys' Guild faces a difficult road ahead as struggling racetracks find it harder to lend a hand with voluntary payments.
