Stallion Where’s the Ring will return east, this time to Ontario’s Colebrook Farm Stallion Station, for the 2016 season.
Monthly Archives: September 2015
IRB Approves Racing Consolidation Plan
The Illinois Racing Board Sept. 29 voted to consolidate all 2016 Chicago-area racing at Arlington International Racecourse and Hawthorne Race Course, averting potential draconian cuts at both those tracks.
Aaron Mermelstein Wins WPT Title No.2 at Maryland Live
Aaron Mermelstein has won his second World Poker Tour Main Event title in successive years after beating 337 players to the punch in the inaugural event at Maryland Live.
Aaron Mermelstein joins an exclusive club of two-time World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event champions after securing victory in the inaugural WPT Maryland Live event.
Mermelstein was cashing in only his third WPT, and he has now won two of those. Last year, he topped a field of 989 entrants to capture the $712,305 first prize at the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open, and his win in Maryland makes it title number two.
[Image Credit: CardPlayer]
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot soars to $301m
The Powerball jackpot has sailed to $301 million without a winner since Aug. 1; if no winner is selected at the next drawing this Wednesday, the grand prize will continue to grow. A jackpot winner for Wednesday’s drawing would secure a $191.4 million cash payout.
Frankel Filly Tops Goffs Opener at $1.9M
Juddmonte’s first-crop sire Frankel had the highest-priced horse at the opening session of the Goffs Orby yearling sale Sept. 29, a filly out of group I winner Alexander Goldrun.
ARCI Announces Members of Compliance Group
ARCI Sept. 29 announced members of a committee that will work with regulators in each racing state to complete implementation of reforms that make up the National Uniform Medication Program.
New Jersey introduces seal of approval for authorized online gambling sites
New Jersey gaming regulators have introduced an official seal of approval for state-licensed online gambling sites.
On Tuesday, New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) posted a notice indicating that all state-licensed online gambling sites would henceforth display an official seal of approval. The seal (pictured enlarged as well as its position at the bottom of the BorgataCasino.com homepage) indicates that the site in question is “Licensed & Regulated” by the state.
Regulated market advocates have long championed the introduction of such a display, due to what they perceive to be confusion among the state’s residents as to which sites serving the market had the state’s official blessing, which some have credited with contributing to the regulated market’s lackluster performance to date.
Whether or not the new seal will remedy this apparent confusion will depend on whether those confused consumers know what the letters ‘DGE ‘represent, or if they can differentiate between unauthorized sites bearing similar logos with acronyms like MGA, KGC, eCOGRA and so on.
Runhappy, Work All Week Clash In Phoenix
King’s Bishop winner Runhappy and Breeders’ Cup Sprint victor Work All Week bookend a field of 12 going six furlongs in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes Oct. 2 at Keeneland.
Empire Maker Coming Home to Kentucky
After five years in Japan, Empire Maker is returning to Kentucky to stand at Gainesway, farm president Antony Beck confirmed Sept. 29. The stallion was purchased in partnership with Don Alberto Corp.
Undefeated Dothraki Queen Set for Alcibiades
After rallying from seventh to win her stakes debut in the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II) Sept. 12 at Churchill Downs, Dothraki Queen will try for a victory at the highest level Friday, Oct. 2 in the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades.
Jess's Dream Sidelined
Stonestreet’s homebred will lay up in Florida and is expected to return to training in December.
Frankel Colt Tops Goffs Opener at $1.9M
Juddmonte’s first-crop sire Frankel had the highest-priced horse at the opening session of the Goffs Orby yearling sale Sept. 29, a filly for €1.7 million (US$1,913,824).
Lottery app looks to expand reach
The developers of a new lottery app that launched in New York yesterday are hoping to scratch more business out of Massachusetts and other big ticket states. In New York, Jackpocket users get their first ticket free and can buy more with a credit card.
What next for the Irish Lottery?
The effects of the recently introduced changes to the Irish lottery are yet to play out. The raising of the ticket price – to what is effectively 4 per play – and a lengthening of the odds on a jackpot win – from 8.1 million to one to 10.7 million to one – suggest that the lotto’s future is at least open to question.
Silsbee man scratches $1M prize
A Silsbee man won $1 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket he purchased at a Beaumont convenience store, the Texas Lottery Commission announced.
Canadian Poker Dealers Pool to Win US$745K Lotto Jackpot
Some Canadian poker dealers got the best tip ever recently: a pooled lotto jackpot win amounting to almost three-quarters of a million dollars in American money. Let’s face it: poker dealers may be the most under-appreciated people at the table, but they have the power to change the fortunes of everyone they meet with the […]
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Keeneland Ready for Historic Fall Meet
Before it hosts the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for the first time Oct. 30-31, Keeneland will offer up its fall meet, which is always one of the country’s important meets.
Turfway, Ellis Park Join Aftercare Alliance
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Sept. 29 that Ellis Park and Turfway Park in Kentucky have both signed on to match contributions made by owners at each track.
Goodman, Sikura Join Keeneland Advisory Board
H. Greg Goodman, owner of Mt. Brilliant Farm, and John G. Sikura, owner and president of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, have been named as the newest members of Keeneland’s Advisory Board of Directors.
Bet365 outclasses competition once again as FY15 profit hits £410m
Online gambling operator Bet365 continues to outclass its UK competition, posting a 27% rise in operating profit in its 2015 fiscal year.
The Stoke-based Bet365 reported revenue rising 15% to £1.47b in the 12 months ending March 31, while operating profit rose to £410.2m. Bet365’s owners received a £75m dividend in FY15, down from £95m in FY14. Bet365 is half-owned by CEO Denise Coates (pictured), while brother John holds a one-quarter share.
Unlike its publicly traded Gibraltar-based rivals, Bet365 was already paying tax on its UK online revenue, so the Dec. 1 introduction of the UK’s new 15% online point-of-consumption tax had less of an impact than other UK firms have reported. Regardless, the pace of revenue and profit growth was slower than the company posted in FY14.
The FY15 numbers were boosted by the 2014 FIFA World Cup, leading to a one-third rise in sports betting handle to £34b. In-play wagers accounted for 75% of total sports turnover, while mobile wagering handle rose 59%. Active sportsbook customers grew by 41% to 4.1m, including 2.3m new depositors during the period.