Horse racing Archives

September 19, 2023

French competition authority clears FDJ for ZeTurf acquisition

France’s national competition regulator, l'Autorité de la Concurrence, has cleared the country’s national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) to acquire online horse racing betting site ZeTurf Group.

However, FDJ will have to change several aspects of its operations to address the regulator’s concerns about risks to competition.

In particular, FDJ has committed to separating its monopoly and competitive gaming operations. It also has said it will allow any French licensed operator to access the common pool of horse racing bets it manages.

L’Autorité outlines competition concerns

Despite both FDJ and ZeTurf offering online sports betting, their low combined market share meant this alone did not concern the regulator.

Instead, l’Autorité said problems could come from FDJ’s monopoly on lottery games and retail sports betting.

It argued that, because of its exclusive rights to offer these segments, the new combined business may have been tempted to restrict the competition..

August 22, 2023

CDI closes deal for historical racing specialist Exacta

Horse racing operator Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has closed its acquisition of historical horse racing provider Exacta Systems.

The $250m deal allows Churchill Downs to realise significant and immediate synergies, the operator explained.

Its tracks in Virginia, Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, already house Exacta historical racing machines. This means it takes charge of the full value chain.

More historical horse racing machines (HHRMs) will be rolled out across its other properties.

Churchill Downs flexes B2B muscle through acquisition

Exacta will fold into CDI’s B2B subsidiary TwinSpires, providing content to its current third-party clients in Kentucky, Wyoming and New Hampshire.

This arm, formerly CDI’s operating business repurposed as a B2B proposition, already powers DraftKings’ horse racing app DK Horse.

August 18, 2023

Caesars extends online racebook to New York

Caesars Entertainment has announced the launch of its mobile horse racing wagering app and website in the state of New York.

The Caesars Racebook product offers New York consumers access to pari-mutuel wagering on races from more than 300 tracks worldwide.

Caesars Racebook is also integrated with the Caesars Rewards loyalty programme. Players earn points for each wager placed and can exchange these credits for experiences at any Caesars location across the US and Canada.

The New York launch follows successful rollouts of the racebook in a number of other states. These include California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming.

Caesars said plans are in place to also launch the racebook product in more states across the US.

Joint effort in New York with NYRA Bets

“Building on the popularity of our Caesars Sportsbook app, we are thrilled to launch Caesars Racebook..

July 27, 2023

Record-breaking Derby Week lifts CDI Q2 figures

A record-breaking Kentucky Derby helped Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) to post record net revenue for a second successive quarter.

Derby Week generated record revenue of $20.5m, with total sales reaching $768.5m (£592.6m/€690.5m) in Q2. This total was up from $582.5m in the corresponding period last year and $559.5m in Q1.

Meanwhile, adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) hit a record $363.7m in Q2 – up from $291.2m year-on-year.

Read the full story on iGB North America

July 18, 2023

HKJC betting turnover reaches HK$141.1bn in 2022-23 season

Turnover in the Hong Kong Jockey Club's 2022-23 season grew 0.5% year-on-year to HK141.10bn (£13.78bn/€16.03bn/US$18.05bn) as the contribution from international turnover and commingled pools offset local declines.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s (HKJC) 2022-23 campaign featured a total of 88 meetings and comprised 835 Hong Kong races and 299 overseas simulcast races.

The increase in turnover, HKJC said, was down to the rising popularity of simulcast races. Turnover from betting on simulcast events jumped 12.5% year-on-year to $11.80bn.

Most simulcast turnover came from customers in Hong Kong, with this rising by 11.3% to $10.50bn. Turnover from the HKJC’s World Pool overseas customers and partners was also up 23.0% to $1.30bn.

While local racing in Hong Kong remained by far the primary source of turnover, contributing $129.30bn, this was 0.5% lower than the previous season.

Of the local racing total, $104.00bn came from consumers in Hong Kong, while $25.39bn was generated by co..

June 16, 2023

BHA will not be “coerced” into televised debate

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has said that it will not be “coerced” by animal rights group Animal Rising's promise to halt protest action during the summer if the BHA partakes in a televised debate about the “morals of horseracing”.

Animal Rising made the claim earlier today (16 June) at a press conference. Julie Harrington, CEO of the BHA, said that the association will not be forced to conduct “any activity by threats of protest”.

“At a press conference today, Animal Rising said they will cease their protest activity this summer if British racing agrees to take part in a public debate about “the morals of horseracing,” Harrington said. “We will never allow British horseracing to be coerced into any activity by threats of protests.”

Harrington said that Animal Rising’s protests at the 2023 Epsom Derby – which the BHA hailed as “reckless and dangerous” last week – shows that their public declarations are not trustworthy.

“Animal Rising have shown by their reckless a..

June 5, 2023

Churchill Downs suspends racing amid safety concerns

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has suspended all racing activity at its Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky due to concerns over the safety of horses.

Racing will be halted on 7 June and remain suspended through the remainder of the Spring Meet until 3 July. The remainder of the meet will be relocated to Ellis Park from 10 June.

The suspension comes amid an unusual number of horse injuries over the previous month, resulting in 12 equine fatalities.

An internal review and investigations by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) failed to identify a single factor for this increase.

Read the full story on iGB North America

June 5, 2023

BHA slams “reckless” protests at Epsom Derby

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has blasted the behaviour of protestors at the 2023 Epsom Derby, describing their actions as “reckless and dangerous”.

More than 30 individuals were arrested at the meeting on 3 June, with protest group Animal Rising having staged a series of protests over the event.

One protestor was able to gain access to the track but failed to stop the race, one of the key events on the UK racing calendar, after being tackled by police.

Last month, the Jockey Club, operator of Epsom Downs Racecourse, secured a High Court injunction to prevent protestors disrupting the Derby Festival. This came after protestors delayed the start of the Grand National in April.

The injunction banned people from entering or throwing objects on the track, entering the parade ring and any other action that could disrupt proceedings. Those who breached the injunction were subject to proceedings for contempt of court.

After several individuals still went ahead with protests, B..

May 30, 2023

SiS extends German Tote content deal

Sports Information Services (SIS) has enhanced its international content offering by striking a new long-term deal with the German Tote.

SiS said the extension with Germany’s leading horse racing betting broker provides it with continued access to premium content from across retail and online channels.

Major German races, including Hamburg’s famous Deutsches Derby, will be made available to SiS’ partners worldwide.

Conall McSorley, SiS’ head of international horse racing, said: “We have established a strong relationship with the German Tote and we are delighted to extend our partnership over the long-term.

“Our racing portfolio is of the highest quality and we believe that our customers will enjoy the top-quality action we can continue to provide them with from Germany.”

The extension with German Tote adds to SiS’ content from over 170 racecourses and tracks from five continents, including meetings from Europe, Africa, Latin America and the US.

Riko Luiking, managing director at..

May 19, 2023

SIS and MST partner to bring Italian Gallop Derby to UK & Ireland

Sports Information Services (SIS) has agreed to a partnership with Media System Technologies (MST), which will see it broadcast the 140th Italian Gallop Derby to operators in the UK and Ireland.

This will be the first time that operators in both regions will be able to accept fixed-odds wagers on the event.

Bettors will be able to wager on the Italian Gallop Derby’s nine races, including three group contests – the Italian Gallop Derby, the President of the Republic Grand Prix and the Carlo D’Alessio Grand Prix.

“The Italian Derby is one of the premier contests in Europe, and we are delighted to bring the 140th renewal to bettors in the UK and Ireland and around the world through our partnership with Media System Technologies,” said Conall McSorley, head of international horse racing at SIS. “With a rich history, the race resonates with racing fans in Italy and globally.

“We are sure that the increased global audience will enjoy the high-quality action from Italy’s most valuable rac..

May 19, 2023

Novibet pens deal with Irish Guineas Festival

Novibet has signed a deal to become the official betting partner of the 2023 Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival at The Curragh Racecourse in Ireland.

The GameTech operator will be the named sponsor of six races across three days including the Novibet Emerald Mile and the Novibet Guineas Festival Premier Handicap.

“We are delighted to be named as the Official Betting Partner of this year’s Irish Guineas Festival in what is the biggest horse racing sponsorship we’ve been involved with so far,” said Novibet’s Ireland country manager Karl Riley.

“The Irish Guineas is a meeting which is one of the biggest in Irish flat racing and we are very excited to be increasing our presence in this area.”

The deal follows the business’ recent news that it is to sponsor Brazilian football team Fortaleza Esporte Clube.

Racing and sponsorship manager at the Curragh, Evan Arkwright, added: “We are very excited that Novibet has selected the Curragh to launch their biggest horse racing partnership to da..

May 17, 2023

Caesars to launch in Kentucky after Keeneland and Red Mile racetracks deal

Caesars Sportsbook has partnered with Keeneland and Red Mile racetracks ahead of the launch of sports betting in Kentucky.

As part of the agreements, the sports betting platform will gain market access for mobile sports betting in the state. The agreements will also kick off plans to open brick-and-mortar retail sports betting locations in Central Kentucky, which will be subject to approvals from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, signed sports betting into law last month.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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Tag: Horse racing