Horse racing Archives

March 16, 2023

Norway announces new distribution of Norsk Rikstoto profits

The Norwegian Ministry of Food and Agriculture has established new regulations, formalising the revenue share received by the different national equestrian organisations from Norsk Rikstoto.

Under the new rules, the profits distributed to these various bodies will be formalised, with each organisation receiving a set percentage of the proceeds. This differs from the repealed regulations in which the ministry had far more discretion over where the profits were distributed.

Gambling on horse racing in Norway is supervised by the state-owned monopoly of Norsk Rikstoto, which collects all legal pari-mutuel bets on the vertical. The profits from this company are then shared among a variety of Norwegian equestrian organisations in order to support the sport.

Distribution of profits

The new regulations outline that the Norwegian Trotting Association, the national harness racing association, is to receive 82% of the profits. The ministry says that the grant will be used to support the deve..

March 15, 2023

ITV extends free-to-air broadcast deal for British horse racing

British commercial broadcaster ITV has extended a deal to continue showing free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing until the end of 2026.

The three-year deal covers major events such as the Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Derby and the Cheltenham Festival, the 2023 edition of which is taking place this week and will be broadcast on ITV.

ITV began its free-to-air coverage of British racing in 2017, with races shown across both its ITV1 primary channel, ITV4 and ITVx.

“This deal will take us to a decade of racing on ITV and we’re delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers well over 100 days of live coverage of this wonderful sport, including some of the most enjoyable, storied and thrilling events of each year,” ITV’s director of sport Niall Sloane said.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Racecourse Media Group and our other partners within racing to bring audiences the very best racing has to offer in the coming years.”

Racecourse Media Group chief executive, M..

March 14, 2023

Gambling gears up for Cheltenham amid rising concerns over affordability

Ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, industry experts and data reveal consumer spend is set to spike, although affordability checks may impact one of the most anticipated events in horse racing.

Cheltenham begins today (14 March) and ends on Friday 17 March and, while betting volumes are set to rise, the festival will play out amid rising concerns about affordability checks on consumers.

A study conducted by YouGov – which was commissioned by the affiliate Online Betting Guide (OLBG) – surveyed a total of 1,007 gamblers in the UK between 23 February and 2 March.

It found that 11% of punters are gearing up to gambling more on Cheltenham this year than they did last year, compared to 10% who said they were planning to gamble less than they did at Cheltenham 2022.

A total of 23% said they were planning on gambling around the same amount on the event year-on-year.

In addition, 6% of those surveyed said they did not bet on Cheltenham last year but planned to do so this year, while 50% sai..

March 8, 2023

ARC confirms departure of chairman Thorpe

British racecourse operator Arena Racing Company (ARC) has announced that David Thorpe is to step down as its chairman from 30 April.

Thorpe has served in the role since April 2014, prior to which he was chairman of both the Racecourse Association and Arena Leisure.

He also served on the boards of the Horserace Betting Levy Board and British Horseracing Authority.

“I have decided that, after nearly a decade as chairman, it is the right time to step down,” Thorpe said. “I look forward to some more time in retirement, as well as the opportunity to pursue other interests.

“It has been a significant source of pride to see the company flourish and grow over the past few years and without doubt we have assembled an incredibly smart, passionate and hard-working team. I am equally delighted to have been part of creating a new industry structure, a major improvement which should serve the sport well in to the future.

“I am sure the company will only continue to get stronger and more succes..

March 3, 2023

TAB NZ hits profit target for the first time in FY22/23

TAB NZ recorded above budget profits for the first time in months thanks to strong returns from sports betting and domestic racing.

For the month to 31 January 2023, the gaming operator reported a profit of NZ$14.6m (US$9.1m/€8.6m/£7.6m), which was $0.3m above budget. In the sixth monthly trading update for the 2022-23 financial year, this was the first time the operator has posted a profit above budget.

Turnover of $230.1m was 0.9% above budget, in part thanks to a strong racing and sports calendar.

Following on from December, overall field sizes across all three racing codes in January were again either up on, or on par with, the year-to-date average. The peak meeting turnover of $6.6m was on 21 January for the Karaka Million at Pukekohe.

Test cricket proved an attraction for sports customers, with the second test between Pakistan and New Zealand, as well as the third test between Australia and South Africa, topping the list of sports events by turnover for January. Basketball w..

February 23, 2023

ATG CEO: FY22 results success despite “turbulent and troubled year”

Former Swedish trotting monopoly Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG) has reported full-year 2022 revenue of SEK6.04bn (£480.9m/€546.5m), a slight decrease of 1.2% compared to 2021, despite a “turbulent and troubled” 2022.

The total revenue consists of net gaming revenue at SEK5.22bn, agency income of SEK234m and other incomes at SEK584bn.

Hasse Lord Skarplöth, CEO of ATG, said that the operator had delivered good results for the period – particularly in terms of sport and casino – regardless of outside challenges.

“I ended last year’s CEO speech by saying ‘we can look forward to an exciting 2022’,” said Skarplöth. “So, a year later, I can state that I got a little more right than I wanted – but in the wrong way.

“ATG, during such a turbulent and troubled year, succeeding in increasing the net gaming revenue in both sports and casino by 8% and 49%, respectively, is a well-approved result.”

Specifically, Skarplöth was referring to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukrai..

February 20, 2023

William Hill named as Grand National’s official betting partner

William Hill has been named as the official betting partner of the Grand National in a three-year deal.

As well as being the official betting partner, the deal will see William Hill named as the sponsor of three races held at the Aintree racetrack during the Grand National.

The festival runs from 13-15 April.

The three races are the Grade 1 William Hill Aintree Hurdle on 13 April, the William Hill Handicap Hurdle on 14 April and the Grade 3 William Hill Handicap Chase on 15 April.

Non-runner, money-back

william hill will be offering bets with non-runner, money-back terms

Daryl West, William Hill’s head of sponsorship, social and PR said the company was “delighted” to be involved as the event’s official betting partner for the next three years.

“The Grand National Festival at Aintree is one of the pinnacles of the National Hunt calendar and we are delighted to be involved as the official betting partner for the next three years,” he said.

“Horseracing is a vital part of our heri..

February 20, 2023

MyRacehorse appoints ex-Betfair racing head as marketing director

MyRacehorse, a micro-share horse racing syndicate, has hired ex-Betfair head of racing Will De Nardo to lead on its UK and Ireland marketing efforts.

De Nardo has been appointed as MyRacehorse’s UK and Ireland marketing director and global gaming advisor.

In his new role, he will lead the company’s customer base expansion.

De Nardo joins MyRacehorse after close to 10 years working at various Flutter Entertainment brands, spending time at Sky Betting & Gaming and FoxBet before moving on to Betfair.

“Will brings an additional and important marketing skill set to our UK and Ireland business due to his invaluable experience at Flutter,” said MyRacehorse managing partner Jules Pittam.

“He will be influential in enhancing the owner experience as well as working with new partners as he develops gaming opportunities around the world. We are delighted to have someone of such high calibre join the team.”

de nardo said he aims to replicate the business’ success in new markets

De Nardo sa..

February 16, 2023

CDI closes $197.2m sale of Arlington Heights property to Chicago Bears

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has completed the sale of a property in Arlington Heights, Illinois, to nearby National Football League (NFL) franchise the Chicago Bears.

The initial deal was struck in September 2021, with the Bears having agreed to pay $197.2m to acquire the 326-acre site, which is currently home to Arlington Heights Racecourse.

The racecourse opened in 1927 and upon closure had a capacity of 35,000 seats. The venue had not hosted any form of racing since the deal with the Bears was agreed in 2021.

Read the full story on iGB North America

February 13, 2023

SIS pens deal to offer Italian racing content

Betting services supplier Sports Information Services (SIS) has announced that it has reached an agreement to add Italian horse racing content to its offering.

The agreement was reached in partnership with Italian betting and broadcasting supplier Media System Technologies (MST).

“The addition of high-class Italian content further emphasises our focus to bring operators and their customers the widest range of betting opportunities from around the world 24/7, 365 days a year,” said head of international horse racing at SIS Conall McSorley.

the deal will see italian racing content added to sis’ offerings

McSorley praised the state of Italian racing, arguing that it was on an “upward trajectory”, and that he was certain that the content addition would prove successful with both bettors and operators.

SIS will now feature content from the IRw consortium of tracks – which includes Merano, Pisa, Rome, Treviso and Varese – as well as the Agnano racetrack.

Italian flat racing content

E..

February 2, 2023

UK Tote unveils daily North American racing offering

Pool betting operator UK Tote has confirmed that its customers will now be able to bet on daily North American thoroughbred racing across all digital platforms.

Tote announced today (2 February) that such betting options have been available via its Android and iOS applications, as well as its mobile web and Tote.co.uk platforms, plus its text-betting service, since last week.

It added thatSaturday’s Pegasus World Cup pools from Gulfstream Park in Florida saw a total of $43m wagered across the card.

As part of a phased approach, customers will initially have access to win, place, exacta and trifecta pools, with betting offered on the North American racing schedule broadcast on the Sky Sports Racing channel. Live and free streaming coverage will be available for customers via the Tote’s digital platforms.

Tote has linked up with 1/ST Content, a distributor of content for 60 North American racecourses, to deliver new feeds and data to support the offering.

Enhanced racecard content w..

January 30, 2023

SIS pens 24/7 Live Racing deal with BetConstruct

BetConstruct will feature live racing content from Sports Information Services (SIS) as part a new partnership.

Under the terms of the deal, BetConstruct’s platform will integrate SIS’ offerings, starting with its 24/7 Live Racing Content.

This comprises of over 35,000 horse races and 38,000 greyhound events, taking place at over 170 racecourses across five continents.

SIS said the deal with the London-headquartered supplier represents an important step within its stated ambition of further developing relationships with leading platforms.

Andy Kelly, SIS’ commercial manager for UK and Europe, said: “We’ve been extremely open that SIS has a strategic goal of strengthening its partnerships with platforms and distributors.

“BetConstruct has an excellent global reach that allows for significantly more operators worldwide to have access to the best racing products on the market. It has also been a pleasure working with the BetConstruct team and I am looking forward to a long and succes..

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Tag: Horse racing