by Pete Denk and Frank Angst

A wagering system foul-up on April 22 impacted wagering pools in five states and affected bettors across the country, said Association of Racing Commissioners International President Ed Martin on Thursday.

According to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, $2 bets placed at New York City Off-Track Betting and processed through AmTote were deposited into wagering pools as $200 bets.

Thoroughbred facilities affected were Aqueduct, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Indiana Downs, Keeneland Race Course, and Tampa Bay Downs.

Martin said the New York board informed him of the situation on Wednesday. Martin complimented New York City OTB for promptly notifying regulators of the situation but said the situation was further proof that horse racing’s bet processing system needs upgrades.

“This is yet another example of why the RCI Wagering and Integrity program needs to be implemented immediately involving tote systems to hopefully detect these types of problems before they happen,” Martin said.

The RCI Model Rules calls for a licensing of tote companies, independent testing of tote systems, and real-time independent monitoring.

“Prominent leaders in the racing industry keep telling us that everything is O.K., but this is another example of something that was not supposed to happen,” Martin said.

It is not yet known how payoffs were affected. Martin was at the RCI’s 75th annual conference in Lexington on Thursday.

New York State Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini said Thursday it was not clear what caused the problem or whether the problem was the result of foul play. He said that for whatever reason, two zeroes were added to $2 wagers so that they registered as $200 wagers.

The NYSRWB will launch an investigation into exactly what happened and where the problem occurred.

"Whether these transactions were corrupted by an act of commission or the omission of proper oversight, it's a very bad situation," Sabini said. "It's another example of tote integrity coming up short."

An RCI representative said the transactions that were registered for the wrong amount occurred in exotic pools other than the superfecta. The representative said the problem did not involve win, place, or show wagers.

Pete Denk is sales editor of THOROUGHBRED TIMES

Frank Angst is senior writer of THOROUGHBRED TIMES