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Posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007
Horse wagering on s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and its undercard declined for the first time in 16 years, according to figures released by the racetrack.
The horse betting handle was down 0.1 percent on the Kentucky Derby and 4.1 percent on the card, wagering on the Derby and its undercard has grown astronomically over the past decade and a half, fueled by a large rise in the number of wagering outlets and the emergence of account wagering. In many of those years, growth compared to the previous year was in the double digits.
The television rating for the 2007 Kentukcy Derby broadcast on NBC was an 8.3, up 12 percent from last year’s broadcast, according to figures released by NBC on Sunday. The Kentucky Derby race broadcast, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., had a share of 18. Share measures the percentage of televisions in use that were tuned to the broadcast. link to full story
Youbet says TrackNet to blame for decline of Kentucky Dery horse betting handle.
Youbet CEO Charles Champion directed more criticism at the controversial content alliance of Churchill Downs and Magna Entertainment, that the partners in TrackNet Media Group ???ended up shooting not only themselves, but an entire industry.???
Champion said horse racing was going to suffer in the long-term unless resolve can be found in the volatile situation involving wagering platforms which are unwilling to consent to TrackNet???s distribution structure.
???TrackNet Media refused to sell the Derby simulcast to ADWs unless they dropped top content from other tracks,??? said Champion of Youbet???s non-presence in wagering on the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) card. ???They presumed to be taking a shot at their competitors. Problem is, they ended up shooting not only themselves, but an entire industry.???
Champion said a drop in all-source wagering on the Derby card tells a big story, noting that last year???s combined $12.5 million handled by Youbet, its off-shore outlet International Racing Group, and TVG Network represented a 7% hole that couldn???t be filled.
???This year, the Derby attracted its biggest TV ratings in 15 years, but somehow, the industry managed to take a 5% increase in audience and turn it into a 4.1% decrease in handle,??? he said.
???This blemish on our business, and this dent in our collective pocketbooks, could have been avoided. Had TVG, Youbet and IRG carried the races . . . the industry could have been heralding a new high point in its distribution methods as well as its fan interest.??? full story
While onshore pari-mutuel organizations continue their squabble - both racetrack owners and operators CDI and Magna and ADW providers Youbet and TVG - offshore racebooks and illegal bookies are servicing the horse bettors’ needs for wagering on big stakes races such as the Kentucky Derby. The 2007 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico (owned by Magna) will be another example of exclusion of the ADW’s and dare we predict another drop in horse betting handle.
tags: Kentucky Derby handle, Kentucky Derby betting
"Kentucky Derby betting handle down. Ratings up." was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 5:53 pm and is filed under Churchill Downs, Horse Racing Industry, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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