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California exchange betting could still be a long way off for Betfair

I told you this battle was going to be a lot harder than just convincing the legislators...

Exchange wagering grilled at CHRB meeting

Exchange wagering in California drew some strong opposition from The Stronach Group and several horsemen's organizations during its first California Horse Racing Board committee hearing Feb. 9 at Santa Anita.

Commissioners David Israel and Richard Rosenberg heard testimony regarding implementation of exchange wagering in the state following passage of state legislation enabling it. At the end of the four-hour meeting, they took no action on a set of proposed rules developed by CHRB staff.

“It seems to me this isn’t cooked yet,” Israel said at the conclusion. “There are too many objections by too many stakeholders. This has to be fully contemplated and the rules and regulations need to be tied down. We need to be realistic about how much time it’s going to take.”


Read more at Bloodhorse

Interesting that the Stronach Group are dead against it - I remember entertaining them with Betfair several years ago when they were very keen to get involved! Perhaps not having a piece of the pie changed their tune just a little....

And the most inventive piece of hyperbolae goes to former jockey, now Luck star, Gary Stevens.

He said that it would change how jockeys ride a race. In a turf race, Stevens said, he was always taught to save ground and hope for an opening along the rail because most horses aren’t good enough to win if they have to go around the field. He said that if exchange wagering were allowed, jockeys would always go around so that they couldn’t be accused of getting the horse stopped.

I wonder how many jockeys in Australia, Ireland or the UK were consulted before he came up with that piece of hysterical rubbish?

This battle will drag on for quite a while yet...

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