Via Bill Finley
According to figures released Wednesday by Equibase, $12,218,407,637 have been bets on horse racing in the US in 2021. The figure marks the first time betting has hit $12 billion since 2009. when $12.315 billion was staked.
“Amid extreme hardship, the resilience of Thoroughbred racing was on full display in 2021, as we ended the year with significant growth in wallets and total handles over 12 billion dollars, the highest since 2009,” NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said in a statement. “We thank our customers for their continued support, as their stakes continue to drive our industry. As we move into 2022, we look forward to the beginning of a new era for American Thoroughbred racing with the introduction of the Hitchhiking Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and a strong focus on more on the safety and welfare of horses and the integrity of America’s oldest sport. ”
Wages peaked in 2003 when $15.18 billion was staked.
Wages are up 11.86% from 2020, when $10,922,936,290 was wagered in a year where the pandemic has closed some of the tracks in parts of the year. A better comparison might be 2019, when $11,033,824,363 was staked. The numbers from 2021 compared to 2019 show an increase of 10.74%.
While the increase in bets could be the result of a number of factors, the hope in the industry is that gamblers turn their attention to racing as COVID-19 shuts down the big four sports in 2020. and many of those players have gone on to bet on sports.
There are 4,072 race days in 2021 compared to 3,302 in the previous year. The average bet per race day has dropped, from $3,307,976 to $3,000,591, down 9.29%.
Wallets also surged during the year. Total US wallets for the year were $1,180,853,677, up 35.77% from 2020. Amounts in wallets paid out compared to 2019 increased slightly by 1.11%.
The average wallet per race day is $273,871 in 2021, up 9.91% from the 2020 figure and up 9.87% from 2019.
Field sizes continue to decline in 2021. The average school consists of 7.37 runners, down 7.2% from 2020 when the average field size was 7.94. The average school size in 2019 was 7.53. As recently as 2009, the average field size was 8.24.
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This story was posted in Top News and tagged Equibase, increase handling, HISA, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, purebred race, Tom Rooney, bet.
