Santa Anita and Golden Gate sue offshore website for taking bets

Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields have filed a lawsuit alleging that an offshore website is taking wagers from California residents in violation of federal laws.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that the owners and operators of two websites, usracing.com and busr.com, are accepting the bets without the required consents of the Interstate Horseracing Act, a federal law that governs simulcasting. The suit also alleges violations of federal anti-racketeering laws and California business regulations.

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Santa Anita and Golden Gate are both owned and operated by 1/ST Racing, the company formerly known as The Stronach Group. The company also owns and operates Gulfstream Park in Florida and Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland.

Racetracks have rarely pursued legal action against companies that offer fixed-odds betting on U.S. races from off-shore bases. The suit states that the U.S. venue is proper “because a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claims alleged in this complaint … could reasonably expect to be brought into court in California.”

The suit alleges that usracing.com is a marketing front for busr.com, which is the bet-taking entity. The suit does not identify the owners or operators of either site, but both sites have marketed to horse-racing bettors for years. The busr.com website says that the company has “offices in the United Kingdom and the Americas.”

The site does not offer parimutuel wagering on horse racing, instead paying out at track odds, with exotic bets capped.

The sites did not immediately respond to emails sent to their customer service departments seeking comment on the suit.