About 1,000 betting outlets are expected to take wagers on Saturday's Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1)—and that number just includes the participating racetracks and off-track parlors in North and South America.Bets also will be placed across most of Europe and in Australia, New Zealand, Macau, South Africa, and elsewhere, although the total number of locations was not readily available.

In just its sixth running, the $6-million World Cup has ridden its ranking as the planet's richest horse race to a position as the fourth most-watched sporting event on television and the most widely available race for betting in the world, officials said.

"Right from the very first, it has just escalated every year," said Nick Clarke of the English-based International Racing Bureau. Clarke also serves as chief executive of the Emirates World Series Racing Championship, a 12-race contest that stretches from the United States to Europe and Asia after annually beginning with the World Cup.

Two-time Horse of the Year Cigar's participation in the 1996 inaugural World Cup, a race he won by staving off Soul of the Matter, immediately galvanized American betting and general interest in the event, which was furthered by 1997 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Silver Charm's win in '98. Arlington Park again will act as the betting hub for the World Cup this year.

Other countries also have become more interested in the World Cup program as it has grown to include six turf and dirt races worth a minimum of $1-million each.

"We're talking about 200 countries worldwide for TV access," Clarke said.

The World Cup ranks behind only the Olympics, the World Cup soccer championship, and the Formula One Grand Prix auto racing events as the most watched sporting contests in the world, he added, and is "closing in on third."

There is much room for further growth. Clarke said the huge betting markets in Hong Kong and Japan have not yet been tapped. The time difference has created a major hurdle with Hong Kong, where post time would be after midnight, while Japanese rules forbid betting on international races.

However, "these are wrinkles that will be worked out over the next five years," he said.

The betting situation is ironic in that Islamic law forbids wagering in Dubai. While total handle generated in other nations is not publicly announced, officials are diligently working to increase the amount to support racing in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the Emirates Racing Association in March began simulcasting regular racing programs to South Africa and is also allowing betting on them in England.

Les Benton, chairman of the Dubai World Cup Committee and chief executive of the Emirates Racing Association, said officials hope to begin sending out regular racing programs, conducted annually during the November-to-April season, to the U.S. and elsewhere by next year.

At the same time, Dubai also is capitalizing on the World Cup as a vehicle to promote tourism and other business development in the area. Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum conceived the idea of the World Cup to lure international visitors to the small land on the Persian Gulf.

Over the past six years, Dubai has grown even faster than the World Cup, which began with a purse of $4-million. Today the previously flat desert skyline is spiked with high-rise office towers and luxury hotels equipped with helicopter landing pads.

"The World Cup just pinpoints where this place is on the map," Clarke said. "This is the future Hong Kong of the world, with international corporate headquarters, the media and Internet (government-supported) zones, and sporting events."—Michele MacDonald