Oaklawn cuts some offshore sites

Joining a practice that is gaining momentum among racetracks, Oaklawn Park will withhold its signal from approximately five offshore wagering sites whose clientele utilize computerized "batch" technology. The technology enables large wagers to be placed just before betting on a race closes.

"Essentially, this technology allows them to bet last, after they have seen and analyzed how everyone else has bet," Bobby Geiger, the simulcast director at Oaklawn, said in a release. "We don't think this is a level playing field, and we don't think this is fair to the 99.9 percent of racing fans who don't have access to this technology."

Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., has also topped taking bets from some offshore sites for the same reason. By not sending its signal to certain offshore sites, Oaklawn patrons should see fewer late odds drops, Geiger said.

Eric Jackson, general manager at Oaklawn, said that to his knowledge, none of the sites dropped is based in the United States.