TVG has highest handle yet

Television Games Network had handle of $88.6 million in the second quarter of 2004, the company said Friday. It was the highest quarterly figure posted by the company in its history.

The handle figure was a 45 percent increase over the figure for the second quarter of 2003. For the first six months of 2004, handle through TVG's Oregon-based wagering hub is up 52 percent, the company said, to $131 million.

TVG is owned by Gemstar-TV Guide Inc. Ryan O'Hara, the chief executive officer of the network, said that increased interest in the Triple Crown this year and the ability to take bets from Washington State residents were the principal factors behind the increase.