Lawsuits Filed over 'Quick Picks' Snafu

[trigger]

"At least two lawsuits styled as class-action efforts have been filed in California against Scientific Games Corp. over the “quick-picks” wagering situation that came to light following the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)."
http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46712.htm?id=46712

Hooray, finally a class action suit!!!!
IMO, class action suits concerning systemic wagering inadequacies and outright favoritism for large bettors(eg, special access for CRW bettors to tote systems, late betting shut offs, etc.) against tracks and their tote companies are the only way that the tracks will finally be forced to take action to correct the present woefully unfair wagering system.

[Tom]

I wish them great success in their suits - time to straighten out these jerks who ruin, er, run the game. No excuses for incompetency, but there should definitely be penalties.

[trigger]

"Who's watching the store?

Jamgotchian feels no one is providing oversight of California wagering pools, which allowed the quick-picks bet to happen for such a long period of time.

“There is no protection for a bettor to have a secure wagering pool -- and that’s scary,” he said. “That just further destroys horse racing in the United States. The bettor drives horse racing. If we don’t have bettors, we don’t have horse racing. The bettors are being ignored, and the wagering integrity of bettors in California is being ignored.”

Despite calls for independent real-time monitoring systems of wagering pools, particularly following the Pick-6 scandal in 2002, placement of such safeguards are limited. The Association of Racing Commissioners International, which is a trade group representing 44 jurisdictions and nine neighboring territories or countries, and the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, which is an investigative arm of the racetrack group Thoroughbred Racing Association of North America, have both developed systems they say will provide intensive live monitoring.

Neither the ARCI nor the TRPB were called into investigate the quick-picks situation, and since neither have regulatory authority, neither could order an investigation."
http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46883.htm?id=46883

[trigger]

"“According to the … motion, a California bettor does not have any contractual relationship with the racetrack where the bet is made,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Blood-Horse. “Therefore, if the bettor happens to win, (Scientific Games’) position is that the racetrack is not legally obligated to pay the bettor and the bettor has no judicial recourse.

“(Scientific Games) further states that they can't be liable for any quick-pick damages because (the company) merely ‘supplies equipment to a vendor,’ and since the vendor isn't liable to the bettor based upon state law, neither are they.

“If that really is the law, why would anyone make a horse racing bet in California?” he concluded."
http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/47114.htm?id=47114

Who knew that betting the horses with the tracks may be akin to betting with the off-shore bookmakers????

[Pace Cap'n]

"
Who knew that betting the horses with the tracks may be akin to betting with the off-shore bookmakers????

Ernie Dahlman.

[takeout]

It’s always the bettor that has to figure out for himself when something is wrong or when he’s getting screwed. And how many mistakes, honest or otherwise, do we never hear about? I’m guessing quite a few.

I’m thinking back to the “fix six” scandal. Wasn’t it the OTB manager or someone that kept saying nothing was wrong? It’s amazing to me that if that very unique set of circumstances had not occurred, Harn and his buddies would probably still be happily printing their own winning tickets. And this is not a new situation. I once read about it being done many years ago, I believe at a dog track, and it went on for a long time.

I’m not saying the Scientific Games “quick-picks” thing was anything other than a screw up but it certainly wasn’t handled well. And if they did keep selling tickets somewhere after they knew of the glitch, well, that’s a whole different thing for those involved.

[takeout]

Ernie Dahlman.
Good answer!

[Show Me the Wire]

The track has a fiduciary duty in regards to the pool and so do the vendors. This is not a enforcing a gambling debt.