Winx, a 5-year-old daughter of Street Cry, sailed to a two-length victory in the TAB Chipping Norton Stakes (G1) at Royal Randwick.
Monthly Archives: February 2017
Weekend Stakes Rundown: Fair Grounds in the Spotlight
Each week BloodHorse.com looks forward to the weekend’s biggest races. This week we have a full slate of stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep at Aqueduct Racetrack, and more.
Guest Suite Taking Farish, Howard on Classic Ride
Five starts into his career, Guest Suite is threatening to take his connections down the path of most resistance with the grandest of rewards.
Kentucky Industry Participants Meet With Lawmakers
Kentucky equine-industry participants and supporters got the chance to emphasize the important impact horses have on the state and local economies during visits with state legislators on Wednesday’s KEEP Day in Frankfort.
BCLC’s online casino earns 46% of revenue from 619 players
New research reveals that the British Columbia government’s online gambling site earns 46% of its online casino revenue from just 5% of its players.
This week, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) celebrated the signing of a licensing agreement in which casino operator MGM Resorts would integrate BCLC’s GameSense responsible gambling program at MGM venues across the United States. MGM is the first commercial gaming company in North America to deploy such a program.
But a new study by the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Gambling Research suggests BCLC needs to step up its responsible gambling practices in its own backyard, given its online gambling site PlayNow.com’s reliance on a tiny fraction of its users for nearly half its online casino revenue.
The UBC researchers studied a single month (June 2015) of activity on PlayNow, during which the site welcomed 41,041 users who made 48m bets totaling C$118m (US $90m). Only 30% of players played the site’s casino yet the vertical accounted for 96.7% of all bets, with slots accounting for nearly 80% of online casino bets.
Veteran Kentucky-Based Hot Walker Roche Dies at 91
Eugene Roche, perhaps the oldest active hot-walker in the country at age 91, died Friday, Feb. 24, in Louisville, Ky.
Czech court says gambling domain-blocking constitutional
A court has ruled that Czech Republic’s plan to block unauthorized online gambling domains is constitutional.
This month saw the launch of PokerStars.cz, the Czech Republic’s first licensed online poker and casino operator since the country’s new regulated online gambling market took effect on January 1.
While many international operators left the market ahead of the deadline, many others have chosen to carry on as normal, and the government has vowed to target these interlopers by requiring internet service providers (ISP) to block all domains of sites on the Ministry of Finance’s naughty list or face administrative sanction.
But some Czech politicians expressed concern regarding the constitutionality of the domain-blocking plan, particularly as regards to censorship. A group of Senators also claimed it was unfair to force ISPs to bear the costs of online gambling operators’ failure to obtain a Czech license.
Absolute Poker Founder Scott Tom Goes Heads Up with US Government
Scott Tom ended his long run from the law on Thursday, walking into a Manhattan courtroom to face charges levied against him back in 2011. The former fugitive, who is […]
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Oscar Performance Targeting Keeneland for Season Debut
In his quest to reassert himself as a divisional leader, Oscar Performance turned in a sparkling effort Feb. 24, when he worked four furlongs in :47 2/5 over the main track at Palm Meadows Training Center.
Three Rules Fires Florida Bullet
Three Rules worked five furlongs in :58.91 and Beasley worked four furlongs in :48.11, both firing the bullet for their respective distances Feb. 24 at Gulfstream Park.
Loto-Quebec’s online gambling gains, French chef pains
Loto-Quebec’s online gambling revenue jumped more than one-quarter in the first nine months of its fiscal year.
Quebec’s provincial gambling monopoly released its fiscal Q3 results on Friday, showing overall revenue falling 1.5% to C$2.61b (US $1.62b) in the nine months ending December 31, 2016. Profits were also down, falling 1.3% to C$933m, which Loto-Quebec blamed on two fewer days during the period and a paucity of big lottery jackpots.
The Espacejeux.com online gambling operation reported revenue of C$58.3m, a 26.4% rise over the previous corresponding period. Online lottery sales improved nearly 30% to C$26.8m while other online gambling products rose 23.5% to C$31.5m.
The results put Espacejeux well on pace to break its previous 12-month revenue total of C$66.2m. Regardless, Quebec insists it’s proceeding with its plans to compel internet service providers to block the domains of Espacejeux’s international competitors, even if telecom industry groups and Canada’s national telecom regulator say the plan is illegal.
Jason Mercier Scoops Two at American Poker Awards, David Peters Honored as GPI Player of the Year
Jason Mercier is garnering so many accolades, trophies, and cashes, eventually he’s going to be “so sick and tired of winning,” as President Donald Trump would say. The PokerStars Team […]
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Man finds out he wins $1M after finally answering calls from Michigan Lottery
It took some time to track him down, but we now know who won a million dollars playing the Michigan Lottery. Winner Stories, Michigan, Technology, Online Ticket Sales
Should a town that doesn't sell lottery tickets take in less lottery revenue?
In Massachusetts, an examination of a fundamental issue of fairness: Should a town that refuses to sell lottery tickets reap the benefits of tickets sold in other communities?Financials, Massachusetts, Retailer, General Interest
Elliott Honored with George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
Stewart Elliott, best known as the regular rider for 2004 dual classic winner and champion Smarty Jones, has been selected by a nationwide vote of his peers as the winner of the 2017 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
Local Hero, Guest Suite Top Risen Star Selections
Dave Litfin handicaps the weekend’s top graded stakes races including three stakes for 3-year-olds or 3-year-old fillies this weekend.
William Hill’s profit down double-digits in “challenging year”
UK bookmakers William Hill saw their operating profit fall 10% in 2016, a 12-month span their interim CEO called “a challenging year.”
Figures released Friday show Hills’ revenue inching up 1% to £1.6b last year, while operating profit fell 10% to £261.5m. Interim CEO Philip Bowcock (pictured) said 2016 had been a tough slog but claimed to see “encouraging signs in all our divisions, in particular Online’s UK business.”
Hills’ overall online revenue was down 3% to £544.8m, representing 34% of group sales. Worse, operating costs rose 5%, pushing online operating profit down one-fifth to £100.5m.
Online sports handle rose 2% to £4.3b, but margins dipped half a point, pushing revenue down 2% to £270m. Online gaming revenue fell 4% to £274m, in part due to the UK’s new ‘time-out’/automatic self-exclusion rules.
Baffert Talks 2017 Triple Crown
Tom Pedulla of America’s Best Racing recently spent some time with Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert to talk about this year’s classics.
Canadian Horse Racing Plans Anniversary 250 Celebration
With Canada’s horse racing industry celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, leading industry groups in the country are calling on tracks, training centers, agricultural societies, communities, farms, and fans to mark the occasion.
French operator FDJ joins eSports fray with new tourney series
French online gambling operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) is entering the eSports market.
The French government-owned lottery and online gambling operator recently announced that it has partnered with online media company Webedia to organize eSports tournaments. Under the partnership, the two companies will launch three tournament series in the country.
The first is the FDJ Masters League, in which 32 professional eSports players will compete for a €20,000 prize pool. The Masters League will run twice a year, according to FDJ. The FDJ Open Series, meanwhile, will have more than 40 tournaments primarily available online, but will also include some live events. FDJ said the series is open to professionals and amateurs, and will consist of events that include games like Clash Royale.
The Masters League and the Open Series will air on JVTV or Millenium TV.