New York regulators fine AmTote $10,000

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York State Gaming Commission fined AmTote International for two incidents that affected wagering at Belmont Park on Oct. 13.

The commission fined AmTote $7,500 for failure to properly close wagering before the first leg of a pick-four wager combining two races from Yonkers and two from Belmont Park. The commission also fined AmTote $2,500 for failure to inform the stewards that it had closed and then reopened wagering on the sixth race at Belmont that same day.

According to a letter sent to AmTote by the commission, wagering on the pick four remained open for one minute and 41 seconds past the official closing of the first leg of the wager from Yonkers. When the tote operators were informed by the mutuel office that the race at Yonkers was not properly closed, they mistakenly closed wagering on Belmont’s sixth race for one minute and five seconds before reopening wagering on that race.

“New York State Gaming Commission staff were informed by Commission Steward Steven Lewandowski that none of the stewards were consulted before tote operators reopened betting on Belmont race 6,” the letter stated.

A total of $12,409 was wagered on the pick four and all wagers made in that pool were refunded. The five winning combinations at 50 cents and the one at $1 were paid out as winners. None of the winning wagers was placed during the time wagering was improperly opened.

The commission has fined AmTote three times before, all in 2016. One fine was for $7,500 and two were for $10,000.

Keith Johnson, president of AmTote, wrote in an email to Daily Racing Form that there were “some standard role responsibilities, with related processes and safeguards, that were compromised and will [be] applied moving forward for any future special events between AmTote operations and NYRA management.”

“Of course, we certainly regret that it occurred otherwise,” the email said. “AmTote operations, in coordination with NYRA management oversight, ensured that there were no late wagers that were winners, and all actual winning tickets were properly credited while refunds were issued on all other wagers.”