Churchill Downs Acquires Youbet

[Horseplayersbet.com]

http://newsticker.welt.de/?module=smarthouse&id=966263

Will this be good for the horseplayer?

[DJofSD]

It'll be good for CD.

Whether it becomes "a good thing" for the handicapper will remain to be seen. My gut says no.

[andymays]

Churchill Downs Incorporated to
Acquire Youbet.com, Inc.

We are very happy to announce that Churchill Downs Incorporated, ("CDI"), has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which CDI would acquire Youbet.com, Inc. There are many things that have to happen before this deal is closed and the two companies must operate independently until then. We will let you know our plans for the combined business following closing, which we expect may occur in the first half of 2010.

There are three very important things you should know today, however. First, this deal is really all about you. For horse racing to grow in the U.S. we need online wagering to grow. The combined business should give us even greater resources to invest in new features and services that you want, and that attract new customers to racing.

Second, we understand how important it is that you have trust and confidence in the company you choose to wager with online. The combined TwinSpires.com/Youbet.com business would be a publicly-traded, U.S.-licensed, U.S.-operated, U.S.-owned operator backed by the financial resources of Churchill Downs Incorporated. In addition, as part of this transaction, we also would acquire United Tote, a leading tote system provider worldwide. We also know how important the performance and integrity of the tote system is to your wagering and we are committed to improving that aspect of horse racing.

And third, we are not changing anything about how you use TwinSpires.com today. You can use the same account number or username and PIN or password to log on. The screens will remain the same. And all of the features, functions, handicapping data, live and replay video feeds, the player services staff you deal with... nothing will change as a result of this announcement.

I'll communicate with you again once the deal has closed.
Rohit Thukral
President, TwinSpires.com
Forward Looking Statements

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the proposed transaction, including future financial and operating results, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities, as well as those of the markets we serve or intend to serve, to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate to matters of a strictly factual or historical nature and generally discuss or relate to forecasts, estimates or other expectations regarding future events. Generally, the words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "may," "can," "could," "might," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, including statements related to expected operating and performing results, planned transactions, planned objectives of management, future developments or conditions in the industries in which we participate and other trends, developments and uncertainties that may affect our business in the future. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among other things: the possibility that the expected efficiencies and cost savings from the proposed transaction will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the ability to obtain governmental approvals of the merger on the proposed terms and schedule contemplated by the parties; the failure of Youbet's stockholders to approve the proposed merger; the risk that CDI and Youbet businesses will not be integrated successfully; disruption from the proposed transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that a significant licensing agreement is terminated or not renewed; rising prices for content, the possibility that the proposed transaction does not close, including, but not limited to, due to the failure to satisfy the closing conditions; the effect of global economic conditions, including any disruptions in the credit markets; the effect of UIGEA regulations and/or the resulting policies adopted by credit card companies and other financial institutions; the effect (including possible increases in the cost of doing business) resulting from future war and terrorist activities or political uncertainties; the overall economic environment; the impact of increasing insurance costs; the impact of interest rate fluctuations; the effect of any change in our accounting policies or practices; the financial performance of our racing operations; the impact of gaming competition (including lotteries and riverboat, cruise ship and land-based casinos) and other sports and entertainment options in those markets in which we operate or are in close proximity; costs associated with our efforts in support of alternative gaming initiatives; costs associated with customer relationship management initiatives; a substantial change in law or regulations affecting pari-mutuel and gaming activities; our continued ability to effectively compete for the country's top horses and trainers necessary to field high-quality horse racing; our continued ability to grow our share of the interstate simulcast market and obtain the consents of horsemen's' groups to interstate simulcasting; our ability to execute our acquisition strategy and to complete or successfully operate planned expansion projects; our ability to successfully complete any divestiture transaction; market reaction to our expansion projects; the loss of our totalisator companies or their inability to provide us assurance of the reliability of their internal control processes through Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 audits or to keep their technology current; our accountability for environmental contamination; the loss of key personnel; the impact of natural disasters on our operations and our ability to adjust the casualty losses through our property and business interruption insurance coverage; any business disruption associated with a natural disaster and/or its aftermath; the impact of wagering or other federal or state laws, including changes in any such laws or enforcement of those laws by regulatory agencies; the outcome of pending or threatened litigation; changes in our relationships with horsemen's groups and their memberships; our ability to reach agreement with horsemen's groups on future purse and other agreements (including, without limiting, agreements on sharing of revenues from gaming and advance deposit wagering); the effect of claims of third parties to intellectual property rights; the volatility of our stock price; the impact of live racing day competition with other Florida and Louisiana racetracks within those respective markets; a substantial change in allocation of live racing days; changes in Illinois law that impact revenues of racing operations in Illinois; the presence of wagering facilities of Indiana racetracks near our operations; our ability to execute on our permanent slot facility in Florida; the need for various alternative gaming approvals in Louisiana; our ability to integrate businesses we acquire, including our ability to maintain revenues at historic levels and achieve anticipated cost savings; and the outcome of any claims arising in connection with a pending lawsuit in federal court in the Western District of Kentucky styled Churchill Downs Incorporated, et al v. Thoroughbred Horsemen's Group, LLC, Case #08-CV-225-S]. See CDI's and Youbet's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to our businesses. Neither CDI nor Youbet undertakes any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or changes in our respective expectations.

Important Merger Information and Additional Information
This communication is being made in respect of the proposed merger transaction involving CDI and Youbet. In connection with the proposed transaction, CDI will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4and Youbet will mail a proxy statement/prospectus to its stockholders, and each will be filing other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC as well. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The final proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to Youbet stockholders. You may obtain copies of all documents filed with the SEC concerning this proposed transaction, free of charge, at the SEC's website www.sec.gov, by accessing CDI website at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com under the heading "Investor Relations" and then under the link "SEC Filings" or from CDI by directing a request to 700 Central Avenue, Louisville, KY 40208. Alternatively, you may obtain copies by accessing Youbet's website at www.Youbet.com under the heading "Investors Relations" and then under the link "SEC Filings" or from Youbet by directing a request to 5901 De Soto Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367.

CDI and Youbet and their respective directors and executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding CDI directors and officers is available in CDI's proxy statement for its 2009 annual meeting of shareholders and CDI's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which were filed with the SEC on April 28, 2009 and March 4, 2009, respectively. Information regarding Youbet directors and executive officers is available in Youbet's proxy statement for its 2009 annual meeting of stockholders and Youbet's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which were filed with the SEC on April 30, 2009 and March 6, 2009, respectively. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holding and otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statements/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.

[Charli125]

If ever there was a corporation with the resources and know-how to overhaul the tote system, it's this new merged entity. For now I'm going to be cautiously optimistic.

[DJofSD]

Andy, I saw your post and checked my email folders. Yep, there is was.

I read it and gagged. What a pile of horse puckie.

First, this deal is really all about you. For horse racing to grow in the U.S. we need online wagering to grow. The combined business should give us even greater resources to invest in new features and services that you want, and that attract new customers to racing.

No, it is not about me. Save the smoozing for some one that just fell off the turnip truck.

Given that most revenues for racing comes via online wagering, the 2nd sentence is a given.

Combining resources of the two businesses -- what exactly does that mean? I'll tell you what it does mean. It means that some people will be losing their job. And very likely offices combined along with changes to computer systems, wagering platforms and support staff.

There will be new customers only because there is now one less choice of companies with which to do business.

Second, we understand how important it is that you have trust and confidence in the company you choose to wager with online. The combined TwinSpires.com/Youbet.com business would be a publicly-traded, U.S.-licensed, U.S.-operated, U.S.-owned operator backed by the financial resources of Churchill Downs Incorporated. In addition, as part of this transaction, we also would acquire United Tote, a leading tote system provider worldwide. We also know how important the performance and integrity of the tote system is to your wagering and we are committed to improving that aspect of horse racing.


I don't trust any company that can not produce records and information when a question is asked about a wagering discreptancy.

The rest of the second paragraph/marketing point is just so much fluff and hype. The performance and integrity statement about the tote system is a hoot. Sure it is important. It is the industry's life blood. And, no one can disprove an assertion of commitment to improve it. They could have made it a simpler statement by saying they are going to try to make it better. Keyword: try. It gives them an excuse that when You Bet is a fading memory and nothing has changed they'll be able to say, 'Well, we did try but we can't change what we don't control. We're at the mercy of laws and regulations we can't control or change.'

And third, we are not changing anything about how you use TwinSpires.com today. You can use the same account number or username and PIN or password to log on. The screens will remain the same. And all of the features, functions, handicapping data, live and replay video feeds, the player services staff you deal with... nothing will change as a result of this announcement.

As a TS user, I would hope nothing would change for me since TS is the acquiring company. I wonder if the You Bet user information will be unchanged. Doubt it. There is no way TS will continue to operate two different systems. It will be like any bank or S & L that gets taken out: there will be a merging of the accounts onto the TS systems but the user interface, etc. will be TS'.

[JimG]

2 things came to mind when I saw this:

1) Will TwinSpires retain WagerPad Pro which I feel is the best wagering interface in the business.

2) Less competition. Will wagering fees be far behind?

I hope it is good for the player but in the past when one entity was in a fight with a racing jurisdication, I was usually able to bet through the other.

[andymays]

As Horseplayers we're all on a Roller Coaster with no brakes and no control.

We could stop playing until the dust settles though.

It's gonna take some kind of Super Hero to save the Sport and save us!

[DJofSD]

Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you’re our only hope…

[andymays]

Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you’re our only hope…


I don't know why but I was thinking Underdog!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XRil07h5uE


I vote for Underdog to be the HANA mascot! :ThmbUp:

[DJofSD]

Ah yes, childhood Saturday morning cartoons!

I'll counter with Superchicken (...when you find yourself in danger, when you're threatened by a stranger...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y

[Tom]

This is bad. We need more competition, not less.
CD has shown a total disdain for the bettors.
If it is good for CD, it is bad for us.

Aren't there monopoly laws?

I may be out of this game long before the next BC on plastic.

[andymays]

Ah yes, childhood Saturday morning cartoons!

I'll counter with Superchicken (...when you find yourself in danger, when you're threatened by a stranger...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y


:ThmbUp:

[Stillriledup]

http://newsticker.welt.de/?module=smarthouse&id=966263

Will this be good for the horseplayer?


No.

[ranchwest]

I guess my You Bet cap will soon be a collector's item.

[Robert Goren]

What is Youbet stock worth these days. I have not followed it for years. I know when used to wager there in late 90s they could not give it away. I lost interest them when they give me the boot for living in the wrong state. Back then they had a good chat site. A couple trainer's kids would be on there when their dad's horse were running.

[Indulto]

Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you’re our only hope…We have to help ourselves.

Stop betting until a Horesplayer's Bill of Rights is agreed to by the industry and a referendum of unique individual CUSTOMERS on-track and off who would be registered ADW account holders and/or track reward program participants.

IMO the least that might happen is that tired and injured racehorses will have an opportunity to recover.

The most that might happen is that enough players would look up from their Racing Forms and talk with each other about what would make their pasttime better for them, and establish a true collective influence representing all their interests to the same extent.

[FenceBored]

What is Youbet stock worth these days. I have not followed it for years. I know when used to wager there in late 90s they could not give it away. I lost interest them when they give me the boot for living in the wrong state. Back then they had a good chat site. A couple trainer's kids would be on there when their dad's horse were running.

An article on the Courier-Journal website says:

The deal will result in Youbet shareholders owning about 16 percent of Churchill. The Youbet shareholders would receive 0.0598 share of Churchill common stock (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091111/NEWS01/911110410/1037/SPORTS08/Churchill+bets+on+online+growth#) plus 97 cents for each share of Youbet common stock. Based on Wednesday's closing price for Churchill, the deal is worth almost $2.86 per Youbet share.

In extended-hours trading Wednesday night, news of the deal pushed Youbet shares up more than 12 percent to $2.70 while Churchill's stock was down nearly 6 percent.
-- http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091111/NEWS01/911110410/1037/SPORTS08/Churchill+bets+on+online+growth

[grimm7]

Agree! Churchill does not care about the bettors. They are withholding there signal and Fairgrounds to 17 tracks in the Mid-Atlantic. When will this madness end. In the end they will only shoot themselves in the head.

[gm10]

19% premium on the UBET closing price. Not great is it.
And the stock went up 9% before the announcement. Insider trading? Never!

[Black Ruby]

This is bad. We need more competition, not less.
CD has shown a total disdain for the bettors.
If it is good for CD, it is bad for us.

Aren't there monopoly laws?

I may be out of this game long before the next BC on plastic.

AT&T bought Bellsouth again after being forced to divest themselves of the baby bells years ago, what's that tell you about monopoly laws these days?

[OverlayHunter]

Churchill has far too much influence already. Ultimately, the net result of this is going to bad for handicappers; fewer tracks to wager on, decisions that are not in our best interest, a take it or leave it attitude. We're gonna need HANA on steroids. Long live HANA!

[rrbauer]

The monopoly mentalities know only one type of action: MONOPOLIZE.

Give it another year and another go-round of ADW contract negotiations and the independent ADW's will be on their knees.

Rebates? Ha! Ha! Ha!

Takeout reductions? Ha! Ha! Ha!

I would strongly suggest that players with YB reward points be cashing them in before they become "expired".

[rrbauer]

We have to help ourselves.

Stop betting until a Horesplayer's Bill of Rights is agreed to by the industry and a referendum of unique individual CUSTOMERS on-track and off who would be registered ADW account holders and/or track reward program participants.

IMO the least that might happen is that tired and injured racehorses will have an opportunity to recover.

The most that might happen is that enough players would look up from their Racing Forms and talk with each other about what would make their pasttime better for them, and establish a true collective influence representing all their interests to the same extent.

See! This player DOES have some good ideas. :ThmbUp:

[turfnsport]

I vote for Underdog to be the HANA mascot! :ThmbUp:

Andy, this is our only hope:

http://art.allayers.com/images/large/pee_wee_herman.jpg

[andymays]

Andy, this is our only hope:

http://art.allayers.com/images/large/pee_wee_herman.jpg


Now I feel better!

[FenceBored]

Agree! Churchill does not care about the bettors. They are withholding there signal and Fairgrounds to 17 tracks in the Mid-Atlantic. When will this madness end. In the end they will only shoot themselves in the head.

If you go into McDonald's and you see that they've raised the price on the QP value meal you regularly get, and you decide not to buy it at that price, is McDonald's "withholding" the food from you?

[rrbauer]

If you go into McDonald's and you see that they've raised the price on the QP value meal you regularly get, and you decide not to buy it at that price, is McDonald's "withholding" the food from you?

When McDonalds raises their prices do they do it for their customers' sake? Customers can go to a handful of competitors and buy from those outfits' value menus. When racing oligopolies get into pissing matches over rates and the customers get all the spray how is the customer benefitting? Same way as how the customer benefits when McDonalds raises it prices.

One of these days enough of racings' customers will tell the oligolopies to go to hell and leave the game. It will happen eventually, but as stubborn and compulsive as horseplayers are, probably not in my lifetime.

[chickenhead]

If you go into McDonald's and you see that they've raised the price on the QP value meal you regularly get, and you decide not to buy it at that price, is McDonald's "withholding" the food from you?

Let's play fill in the blank: If the primary beef patty supplier owned Wendys, and raised their price to McDonalds in order to gain a competitive advantage for Wendys -- this is good for customers because ___________ ?

Now consolidation isn't bad in and of itself, if the people doing the consolidating were interested in growing the game. Everything I've seen from Churchill seems to indicate they are interested in dominating a shrunk down, much smaller version of racing. High margins, small market. I'd much prefer a consolidator with a low margin, big market mindset. We need a Walmart, not Dolce and Gabbana.

[DJofSD]

Walmart for betting or racing -- or both?

It's bound to happen sooner or later. You get just about everything else from China as it is now. Why not racing too?

[Pacingguy]

2 things came to mind when I saw this:

1) Will TwinSpires retain WagerPad Pro which I feel is the best wagering interface in the business.

2) Less competition. Will wagering fees be far behind?

I hope it is good for the player but in the past when one entity was in a fight with a racing jurisdication, I was usually able to bet through the other.

If you are a customer of either company you have the right to ask questions. If you don't like the answers, there is always the Department of Justice Anti-trust unit. This may be something HANA can look at.

[andymays]

CDI 'Well-Positioned' to Make Other Deals | BloodHorse.com

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/53422/cdi-well-positioned-to-make-other-deals

Excerpt:

Churchill Downs Inc., which announced Nov. 11 plans to purchase Youbet.com and its United Tote subsidiary for about $126.8 million, is on the lookout for other prospective purchases in the area of Internet wagering.
During a Nov. 12 conference call on which the Youbet.com deal was discussed, CDI president and chief executive officer Robert Evans said the mix of equity and cash that will be used for the purchase is designed for the future. He said CDI can “preserve its balance sheet” for future deals.
“We’re well-positioned to pursue other online business opportunities as they develop,” Evans said.

Excerpt:

Evans did say the tote component is an attractive aspect of the Youbet.com deal. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, through its Safety and Integrity Alliance, will branch out into wagering security and integrity next year, and tote protocol will be part of that process.

Evans said United Tote is a “stable, established system,” though concerns about the “financial viability and stability of tote system providers and the need to improve the integrity of tote system wagering are well-established.” He said CDI can use United Tote to “directly address those problems” and “improve tote system stability, performance, and integrity.”
Also during the Nov. 12 conference call, Evans and other CDI officials said it’s too soon to say what the combined TwinSpires.com and Youbet.com platforms will look like or even be named.
“We are limited as this time to discuss the future,” Evan said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Churchill out to dominate account-wagering

By Matt Hegarty

http://www.drf.com/news/article/108881.html

Excerpt:

Churchill Downs Inc. is poised to become the most dominant account-wagering operator in the United States if a planned merger with Youbet.com is approved by regulators and the two companies' shareholders.
The merger, announced on Wednesday evening and discussed by officials of both companies in conference calls on Thursday morning, will create an account-wagering business that would have had combined handle of $679 million in 2008, when Churchill's account-wagering operation, Twinspires.com, handled $241 million and Youbet.com took in $483 million. The current market leader, Television Games Network, handled $503 million in customer bets in 2008.

[Indulto]

We have to help ourselves.

Stop betting until a Horesplayer's Bill of Rights is agreed to by the industry and a referendum of unique individual CUSTOMERS on-track and off who would be registered ADW account holders and/or track reward program participants.

IMO the least that might happen is that tired and injured racehorses will have an opportunity to recover.

The most that might happen is that enough players would look up from their Racing Forms and talk with each other about what would make their pasttime better for them, and establish a true collective influence representing all their interests to the same extent.See! This player DOES have some good ideas. :ThmbUp:Thanks for the kind words, rrb.

Are we talking yet? ;)

[grimm7]

If I go to the racetrack and Churchill is not on the menu they are not giving me a choice to buy it.

[trigger]

We have to help ourselves.

Stop betting until a Horesplayer's Bill of Rights is agreed to by the industry and a referendum of unique individual CUSTOMERS on-track and off who would be registered ADW account holders and/or track reward program participants.

IMO the least that might happen is that tired and injured racehorses will have an opportunity to recover.

The most that might happen is that enough players would look up from their Racing Forms and talk with each other about what would make their pasttime better for them, and establish a true collective influence representing all their interests to the same extent.

Indulto., I am tired of the whining by all the bigtime (and smalltime) bettors on this board about the state of ADW betting.
Puleeeze stop the BS and form your own ADW. All you need is a couple of programmers and some money which based on all the winners on this MB should be no problem for you guys/gals to get together to provide the funds necessary to set up one the best horseplayer friendly ADW's.
I'll gladly sign up when you guys do but, in the meantime, chill. Trigger

[Indulto]

Indulto., I am tired of the whining by all the bigtime (and smalltime) bettors on this board about the state of ADW betting.
Puleeeze stop the BS and form your own ADW. All you need is a couple of programmers and some money which based on all the winners on this MB should be no problem for you guys/gals to get together to provide the funds necessary to set up one the best horseplayer friendly ADW's.
I'll gladly sign up when you guys do but, in the meantime, chill. TriggerHerr Trigger,
Nice to see you're so satisfied with the status quo, and that some zero is diddling while racing burns.

Actually, several people already suggested that HANA start its own ADW. Maybe they haven't because they're afraid you'd stalk them the way you did PTC. ;)

[rrbauer]

Indulto., I am tired of the whining by all the bigtime (and smalltime) bettors on this board about the state of ADW betting.
Puleeeze stop the BS and form your own ADW. All you need is a couple of programmers and some money which based on all the winners on this MB should be no problem for you guys/gals to get together to provide the funds necessary to set up one the best horseplayer friendly ADW's.
I'll gladly sign up when you guys do but, in the meantime, chill. Trigger

True statement. Ask Bernie Madoff.

In two years there will be no independent ADW's. The monopoly mentalities will have restricted them to the point where their margins will have been crushed by tracks and horse owner's groups kowtowing to the NTRA backed industry power structure.

I was told by a former tote-company exec today, that in three years, racing in Calif will be half of what it is today. The good news is that if that results in half the days being allocated to racing associations as are allocated today, that there will be a better match between races available and horses available to race in them. The bad news is that if that results in the same number of days being allocated to racing associations as are allocated today then the average field size will be about 4.

Does everyone understand that the ONLY THING that will level the playing field for horseplayers is an out-and-out boycott. Withholding your money from the game period. No money for your favorite track. No money for your favorite ADW. No money PERIOD. Every institution in the industry has to be put between a rock and a hard place. Economic hurt has to be inflicted across the board. There couldn't be a better time to do it than now.

What say you?

[cj]

The closer we get to a monopoly of tracks owning ADWs the worse it gets for bettors. Even sadder, the worse it gets for the sport because we have all seen tracks are horrible running the business.

[Tom]

The upside is maybe a bunch of them will fold up. That would be a good thing.
Let them withhold their signals from everyone and dry up. No way in Hell will ever patronize anything CD is involved in.

[Indulto]

True statement. Ask Bernie Madoff.

In two years there will be no independent ADW's. The monopoly mentalities will have restricted them to the point where their margins will have been crushed by tracks and horse owner's groups kowtowing to the NTRA backed industry power structure.

I was told by a former tote-company exec today, that in three years, racing in Calif will be half of what it is today. The good news is that if that results in half the days being allocated to racing associations as are allocated today, that there will be a better match between races available and horses available to race in them. The bad news is that if that results in the same number of days being allocated to racing associations as are allocated today then the average field size will be about 4.

Does everyone understand that the ONLY THING that will level the playing field for horseplayers is an out-and-out boycott. Withholding your money from the game period. No money for your favorite track. No money for your favorite ADW. No money PERIOD. Every institution in the industry has to be put between a rock and a hard place. Economic hurt has to be inflicted across the board. There couldn't be a better time to do it than now.

What say you?Amen.

[cj]

Amen.

Ditto. The game is getting harder and harder to beat with shrinking fields and rising takeouts. Actually, forget about "beat", but even to stay afloat.

[the_fat_man]

Ditto. The game is getting harder and harder to beat with shrinking fields and rising takeouts. Actually, forget about "beat", but even to stay afloat.

Going to be particularly hard once WO closes for the winter. :bang:

[lamboguy]

ubet was the biggest adw. churhill is now going to have a monopoly over the game. forget what will happen to the players, they will now control over 50% of all bets going to everywhere in north america, between them twinspires and express bet or whatever express bet is. they can now dictate how much they want to pay for a signal to small tracks. they probably can dictate what they want to pay NYRA. this deal has not been aproved yet by the regulartory commission yet. it probably will though even though there are plenty of challenging issues involved.

[HUSKER55]

has anybody called up the regulatory committee and complained or got a response, opinion or anything?

besides what has been posted. These are copies of articles or did I miss read something.

[DJofSD]

Churchill Downs is making us an offer we can not refuse.

What do you do when you have some one like Vito Corleone taking over? Oh ya -- you put something horribly gross in their bed while they are asleep.

[CBedo]

Interestingly, the fact that YouBet accepted such a low price might say something about their forecast of the racing future. I thnk the premium was just over 25% if you look at the day before's closing price, but that is also about a 25% discount to where the stock was this summer.

They also announced on the 11th that although ADW revenues were up year over year for the 9 months, they were actually down 4% for the quarter.

[WinterTriangle]

Walmart for betting or racing -- or both?

It's bound to happen sooner or later.

Yes they are already a "bank". :rolleyes:

[DJofSD]

I like it. Maybe that's their plan -- line up for some of that stimulus money.

[affirmedny]

AT&T bought Bellsouth again after being forced to divest themselves of the baby bells years ago, what's that tell you about monopoly laws these days?


Bellsouth bought ATT. I think that tells an entirely different story.

[DJofSD]

Bellsouth bought ATT. I think that tells an entirely different story.
No, they did not.

AT&T was in partnership with Bell South for the cellular piece. That was taken over by AT&T. There was then a merger with the remainder of Bell South.