The National Horseplayers Championship will be held in the month of March through 2026 under in extension of an agreement between the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of the host site in Las Vegas. First held in 1999, the National Horseplayers Championship had been conducted in late January or early February through its first two decades. However, the disruptions from the pandemic led the tournament organizers to push the 2022 event to March, after holding the 2021 event in August, and the new schedule will put the tournament squarely in March through 2026. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! With the extension, the NHC will continue to be held at Bally’s Las Vegas, a Caesars Entertainment casino that is set to be re-branded as Horseshoe Las Vegas. The 2024 dates will be March 15-17. In 2025, the dates will be March 14-16, and in 2026, March 13-15. The 2023 event is scheduled for March 10-12. All of those dates precede the NCAA men’s basketball tournament by one week. On the weekend prior to the onset of the tournament, most college basketball conferences hold their divisional year-end tournaments. The NHC is the largest handicapping tournament in the world, pitting hundreds of contestants against each other. In recent years, the total purse for the tournament has exceeded $2 million. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.