Racing begins rolling out faster odds cycle
by Ed DeRosa
About 50% of racetracks, including all those in California and New York, are now able to report 99% of all wagering within ten seconds of the stop wagering time.
Curtis Linnell, director of wagering analysis of Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, said the capability to do so is an important step in catching up with the technology available. He warned, however, that the challenge remains of getting that information to display on tote boards and simulcast feeds more efficiently.
“We have made tremendous strides, but we always can be more efficient,” Linnell said. “We are trying to take what originally was a regional system and turn it into a national and now international system.”
Linnell delivered his comments as part of the panel “Trust in the Pari-Mutuel System: Looking at Late Odds Changes” conducted on day two of the joint annual meeting between the Thoroughbred Racing Associations and Harness Tracks of America on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The panel was in part a response to a discussion in December at the Symposium on Racing and Gaming in which major bettor Mike Maloney said that he bet on a race at Fair Grounds after the start and had witnessed other occasions in which pools remained open.
“The perception is there that something nefarious is going on, and the tracks need to understand that this hurts their credibility,” Maloney said.
“We need to make a radical leap to offer the technology our customers want,” Linnell said. “We want to show fans we’re a modern sport.”
Many fans think that the industry has made few strides since the October 2002 pick six scandal at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. In the wake of that controversy, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association commissioned a report from Giuliani Partners on wagering technology, but Maloney said that few of the report’s suggestions are in place.
“Our oversight is too fragmented; it’s helter skelter,” Maloney said. “The report suggests a national wagering oversight board, and I think we need that.”
Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times