Enable’s dam Concentric made it six winners from as many runners July 15 when her 3-year-old Frankel filly Portrush won a 1 1/4-mile maiden race at Yarmouth in her second start.
Monthly Archives: July 2020
Allocations to MA Thoroughbred Industry Revised Again
Percentage of funds dedicated to Thoroughbred backstretch welfare gets a boost.
West Virginia fourth US online casino state after DraftKings launch
Legal online casino gambling is now active in four US states after DraftKings dragged West Virginia into the 21st century.
On Wednesday, DraftKings announced the launch of online casino products in West Virginia, where the company already operates online sports betting through its partnership with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino at Charlestown Races.
DraftKings’ West Virginia online casino product is now available via both its betting app and a new standalone DraftKings Casino app for both iOS and Android devices.
West Virginia becomes the fourth US state – following New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania – to offer legal online casino gambling. Gov. Jim Justice signed the necessary legislation way back in March 2019 but it’s taken the West Virginia Lottery Commission this long to cross the T’s and dot the I’s on its online regs.
Los Alamitos Submits Required Safety Plan to CHRB
Under pressure from the California Horse Racing Board to curb a spike in equine fatalities in recent months, Los Alamitos Race Course has submitted a required safety plan to the CHRB prior to a follow-up meeting with the board July 20.
Not This Time Filly Tops OBS July Second Session
The July 15 session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales July 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Race Age Sale saw a precipitous decline in total sales as the market continues to feel the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgia, Pennsylvania hail online lotteries during pandemic lockdown
Online lottery sales are proving to be the bridge that’s helping some US state lotteries get over pandemic shortfalls in retail sales.
This week, the Georgia Lottery announced that it had booked a record $1.24b profit in the 12 months ending June 30, up from $1.21b in FY19, despite FY19 featuring a record $1.5b MegaMillions jackpot. The FY20 profit marked the fifth straight year in which the Lottery’s annual profits topped the $1b mark and the ninth straight year of annual growth.
Lottery CEO Gretchen Corbin said sales dipped in March as COVID-19 forced some lottery retailers to close and kept customers at home under pandemic lockdown. But sales rebounded in the final quarter of the fiscal year, thanks in part to the Lottery’s efforts to promote its online offering, which includes not only draw ticket sales but instant win games.
A similar ‘online to the rescue’ narrative was recently issued by the Pennsylvania Lottery, which saw overall sales drop 25% in March after nearly one-third of the state’s lottery retailers were forced to close due to COVID-19. As of May 31, traditional Lottery sales were down $60m from the same period last year.
Sophisticurl the First Winner for Ride On Curlin
Sophisticurl made her fourth start an impressive one, winning a July 15 maiden special weight for 2-year-old Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park, and in doing so she gave freshman sire Ride On Curlin his first winner.
Rispoli Latest Jockey to Contract COVID-19
Umberto Rispoli, the leading rider at Del Mar, became the latest jockey to test positive for COVID-19 following a handful of others in the past week. He announced on Twitter his intention to come back “stronger than before.”
Del Mar Cancels Racing July 17-19 Due to COVID-19
Del Mar, which just opened July 10, will close July 17-19 due to multiple members of the jockeys’ room at the California track testing positive for COVID-19.
Baffert Suspended, Horses DQ'd After Drug Positives
The Oaklawn Park stewards announced a 15-day suspension for trainer Bob Baffert after two of his standout horses failed post-race drug tests May 2 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track.
ICE London 2021 faces delay over COVID-19 concerns
The gambling conference calendar has suffered yet another COVID-19 blow as the organizers of ICE London 2021 announced they were pushing the event back a few months.
On Wednesday, Clarion Gaming provided “advanced notice” that the ICE London 2021 event scheduled for next February 2-4 at the ExCel London Exhibition Center had been rescheduled for April 20-22 at the same venue.
Clarion’s managing director Kate Chambers said the delay followed discussions with stakeholders, who evidently expressed doubts that the world will be back to normal by next February. Clarion’s announcement came one day after the Academy of Medical Sciences claimed that a second wave of infections this winter could cause up to 120k deaths unless the UK improves its adherence to health and safety guidelines.
Chambers said there would likely be “more bumps in the road” ahead but vowed to “navigate those challenges and deliver events that all sectors of the international industry want and need.”
Authentic, Dr Post to Break Alongside in Haskell
Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Authentic drew post 2 and was pegged as the 4-5 morning-line favorite as part of a seven-horse field in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) July 18 at Monmouth Park.
N.L. Downs A.L., 7-2, in Strat-O-Matic Simulation; Slim Jim Phantom Tops Drew Carey Managing Squads
Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich’s two-run home run in the fourth inning was one of five circuit clouts in the game as the National League topped the American, 7-2, in Strat-O-Matic’s simulation of the All-Star Game Tuesday night. TV host Drew Carey (American) and musician Slim Jim Phantom (National) managed the teams during a live video stream on Wizard World Virtual Experiences.
Fans can watch a replay of the contest on Twitch, Facebook or YouTube.
Yelich’s shot gave the N.L. a 2-0 lead. One out later, Matt Carpenter of St. Louis followed with another blast for a 3-0 edge for Phantom’s squad.
Carey’s Junior Circuit team pulled to within 3-2 in the sixth, but three runs in the bottom of the frame put the game out of reach.
“It’s just great to be part of this,” said Phantom, an avid baseball and Strat-O-Matic fan who hosts a fantasy baseball show on SiriusXM Radio, following the victory. “It’s keeping baseball going. We were all going crazy, and Strat-O-Matic was so helpful, we’ve been able to play fantasy ball all year. The same thing I love about Strat-O-Matic when I was a kid I love about it now.”
“I’ve been playing this game since the ’70s,” added Carey, a member of several Strat-O-Matic leagues, including one with Phantom. “I used to play my brother all the time, some of my fondest memories of growing up and always loved the game.”
Max Scherzer of Washington earned the win with a scoreless inning. Gerrit Cole of the Yankees gave up the three fourth-inning runs and took the loss.
Strat-O-Matic will continue its simulation of the regular season until the teams return to action on the field. Fans can follow the action, updated daily at 2 p.m. ET, at https://www.strat-o-matic.com/2020-season-simulation/.
Louisiana Downs Joins Tracks With Jockey Restrictions
Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack has announced that if one of its riders accepts a mount at another racetrack, he or she must quarantine for a 14-day period and submit a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning.
Ontario casinos cleared to reopen but no table games allowed
Canada’s largest province has cleared most of its casinos to reopen following their pandemic shutdowns, although it’s unclear whether casino operators intend to reopen anytime soon.
On Tuesday, the government of Ontario announced that Stage 3 of its economic restart would permit casinos and charitable gaming centers “in certain regions” to reopen to the public as of this Friday (17).
However, the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) provincial gambling monopoly said venues looking to reopen will need to submit plans detailing their health and safety precautions and will face significant limits on their ability to generate revenue.
For instance, casinos will be prohibited from operating any table games “at this time.” Gaming venues will only be allowed to admit a maximum of 50 customers at any given time and all persons on-site will be required to observe a two-meter physical distancing requirement.
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez Odds
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The UFC wraps up a busy stretch at its unconventional (and brilliant) Fight Island in Abu Dhabi with its third card in a week on Saturday, headlined by a flyweight title fight and rematch between Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo and American Joseph Benavidez. The main card overall begins at 8 p.m. ET from the United Arab Emirates.
The flyweight title became vacant late December of last year when champion Henry Cejudo announced he was moving up full time to bantamweight – he would defend that belt in May with a win over Dominick Cruz but then shockingly retire.
Cejudo’s vacation of the flyweight belt came when a bout between Figueiredo and Benavidez was announced. They battled on Leap Day in UFC Fight Night 169 in Virginia, and Figueiredo won by second-round TKO (punches).
Suncity’s Russian casino Tigre de Cristal reopening Thursday
Russia’s biggest casino Tigre de Cristal will reopen to the public this week following its lengthy COVID-19 shutdown.
On Wednesday, the Hong Kong-listed Summit Ascent Holdings announced that its Tigre de Cristal in Russia’s far east Primorye gaming zone would reopen to the public as of Thursday (16). Russia ordered all its casinos closed in late-March to prevent further COVID-19 transmission.
Operations cleared to reopen by the local government include the casino floor, hotel and other non-gaming amenities. Visitors will encounter a number of health and safety precautions upon arrival, including temperature checks and mandatory wearing of face masks by all staff and guests.
Every second slot machine will be shut off to ensure social distancing and, while the company made no mention of a cap on the number of customers allowed at gaming tables, all individuals must remain “at least 1.5 meters apart” while on the property.
OwnerView to Reschedule Annual Owners Conference
No new date has been set but OwnerView is exploring options in the fall.
Chosing the right way to communicate for any work situation
When you think of great leaders throughout history, in politics, sports or business, many of the best all have one great thing in common: communication skills. People can rally around the right message and get a lot more done, and that makes the whole outfit just work better.
But not everyone is destined to be a great communicator, and even if your business is lead by someone with those skills, strong communication helps the business from top to bottom. Encouraging successful communication is therefore important, and its an area that should be invested in, specially now as many of us are still homebound.
And at the top, the answer might be obvious: hire a Communications expert. That works fine for broadcasting a message to the troops, but it won’t help your teams work together better. For that, you may want to share some basic lessons about communication, and how teams can get more done by communicating more effectively.
Today, we’ll look at the three different types of communication, and when it’s best to use them.
WSOP Gold: Bullets and Cowboys on the Bubble
If you’ve ever played the World Series of Poker Main Event, then you’ll know that it’s an event like no other. The standard is incredible, with a mixture of both some of the best poker players who have ever lived and some of the worst ever to do so too. It’s therefore a tournament like no other, and as such, things happen at the WSOP felt that don’t happen anywhere else.
Two years ago, on the approach to the WSOP Main Event final table, such a hand occurred.
It’s worth going into exactly what it takes to get to the stage that the three men involved in the hand are at. If you’ve reached the bubble for the final table, then you’ve played your absolute A-Game for almost an entire week, probably starting at 12 noon and finishing 12 hours later, mentally and physically drained.
In the process, you’ll have seen an average of 30 hands an hour for 12 hours across six days. That’s over 2,000 hands of poker, during which time you will have been dealt pocket aces (or indeed any other specific paired hand) once every 221 deals. So, you’ve probably had the ‘pocket rockets’ around ten times by this point.