U.S. handle jumped 10 percent in June

Bolstered by two additional weekend dates, total betting on Thoroughbred races at U.S. tracks in June shot up 10.3 percent compared to the same month in 2023, tempered by a 4.8 percent jump in the number of races held in the month, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday.

Total betting during the month was $1.03 billion, compared to $934.4 million in June of last year. June this year had 10 weekend dates, compared to eight weekend dates last year. Betting on weekends is typically far higher than weekdays.

Average betting per race during the month was $321,392, a 5.2 percent gain on average betting of $305,362 during June of last year.

The average purse per race jumped 4.3 percent to $36,561, up from $35,044 in June of last year. Total purse money paid during the month was up 9.3 percent, to $117.25 million. Purses at U.S. racetracks are heavily subsidized by casino revenues in many jurisdictions.

Field size was up marginally, from 7.03 to 7.18 horses per race.

For the first six months of the year, total handle is down 2.05 percent, according to Equibase, though the number of races has fallen at a slightly higher rate, 3.85 percent. Total purses paid are up 1.0 percent.

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