Two phone services add live video

Two popular account-wagering operations, Phonebet and AmericaTab, have announced that they are adding live video to their websites.

AmericaTab, a start-up account-wagering service that has made strong subscriber gains over the past year, said Friday that it will show live streaming video from four tracks during the day and four tracks during the night on the company's three affiliated websites - winticket.com, brisbet.com, and tsnbet.com. AmericaTab is owned by Beulah Park and River Downs, two small Ohio racetracks.

Phonebet, a longtime telephone-betting operation owned by Philadelphia Park in Pennsylvania, launched its own Internet betting site this week. Video from racetracks will be available at phonebet.com on any live racing day at Philadelphia Park, which is normally Friday through Tuesday, the company said.

Both services will be unable to offer live video from a number of popular racetracks that signed exclusive in-home distribution contracts with another account-wagering operation, Television Games Network. The TVG tracks include Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park, Saratoga, Belmont, Del Mar, Arlington, and others.