How Does This Happen?

[Figman]

The link to the NYRA Press Release-
http://tinyurl.com/2jnnl

Now for the rest of the story:

from the Bloodhorse -
"The winning tickets were bought in Southern California and St. Kitts in the British West Indies."

from the NYRA press release-

J. Randy Gallo, a well-known handicapping contest player and is the owner of Bettor Racing OTB, an off-track betting parlor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

inquiring minds want to know-

Was Mr. Gallo vacationing in Southern California??????? Or does the North Dakota OTB go through St. Kitts?????

[so.cal.fan]

I don't understand how these big "whales" can own their own "hubs".
:confused:

[Milleruszk]

Actually, from what I read, Mr Gallo was at Gulfsteam Park and phoned his pick six selections into the OTB parlor he owns in SD!
Whales even have their own OTB!

Tom

[takeout]

Originally posted by so.cal.fan
I don't understand how these big "whales" can own their own "hubs".
:confused:
There was an article on Gallo quite a while ago in HorsePlayer Mag. If I'm remembering correctly, he found out that anyone could apply for an OTB license in South Dakota. I think he said that it took about 5 months and that owning his own OTB saved him about 7% in takeout.

[so.cal.fan]

The government should investigate these people for money laundering and even possible links to financing terrorism.
We are talking billions here........

[Figman]

THe question remains unanswered? How does a bet through a South Dakota OTB get to NYRA from either Los Alamitos (where the Southern California bet was placed) or from St. Kitts-RGS(through Lewiston,Maine) where the other winning ticket was wagered. South Dakota OTB bets don't go to either of those places!

[so.cal.fan]

Yes, figman, that is a good question and I fear we will not get a straight answer.....<sigh>

[takeout]

Originally posted by Figman
from the Bloodhorse -
"The winning tickets were bought in Southern California and St. Kitts in the British West Indies."
Figman,

Where did you see that at Bloodhorse? I can't find it.

[Figman]

Fifth paragraph from the bottom!
http://tinyurl.com/28s3f

[BillW]

The guy that wrote that article has a link to his website on PA's front page (30MTP). You probably ought to write him and ask further details.

Bill

[takeout]

Originally posted by Figman
Fifth paragraph from the bottom!
http://tinyurl.com/28s3f
Thanks. I see what you mean. I wonder why that part wasn't in the NYRA Press Release? Something is sure not adding up. I just saw this in a DRF article:

[snip]
One of Saturday's winning tickets belonged to J. Randy Gallo, who made the bet through the Bettor Racing OTB, which he owns in Sioux Falls, S.D.
[snip]

http://www.drf.com/news/article/52769.html

[kenwoodallpromos]

Google says several of Randy Gallo's family were finalists and winners in nat'l handicapping contests, including one through ****Autotote****. Remember Autotote, from the BC pick6 cheating? And the Bismark Co. Racing Services Inc.who were just caught doing bad stuff has satellite connections to several SD outlets. Gallo may be the ND whale of an earlier thread, or at least has to know the ND betting-laundering criminals! The hammer may drop soon on them all!

[PaceAdvantage]

When I read about Gallo and his OTB (and I had already known about the bets going through Cali. and St. Kitts), I had the same instant initial thought....how?

I'm sure there will be an explanation, as we can't be the only ones asking these kinds of questions....

[Figman]

The only explanation possible is that Gallo's Bettor Racing OTB is a RGS-St.Kitt's outlet on the mainland, obscurely located in South Dakota.

[so.cal.fan]

A friend of mine just read this thread and sent me this email:

"Okay, that's it! While everyone is so concerned about the tracks being tapped into - these guys are tapped into the hubs and they can do it from anywhere with wireless communications"!

[Figman]

Through a "Lexis-Nexis" search comes a 1998 AP story with the headline "Florida Gambler Brings Big-Time Betting to Sioux Falls"

A very long story. Here is what caught my eye.

"Off-track betting in South Dakota traces it roots to the state's once popular Sodrac dog track in North Sioux City which opened in 1955. Simulcast betting allowed South Dakotans to bet the dogs without travelling to Sodrac but Sodrac fell victim to waning interest and video lottery. From July 1997 through June 1998 the State made $92 million off video lottery play. By comparison the State received $969,000 from the money wagered in off-track betting. The track closed in 1992 leaving a total of only 17 days of racing with the horse tracks of Fort Pierre and Aberdeen. The Legislature had a choice, shut down off-track betting and lose the State's cut or allow private individuals to open their own off-track betting parlors. In 1995, the Legislature chose to keep the businesses and the money passing a law to allow simulcast betting at parlors that operate without any track affiliation. That's the big reason why a professional gambler from Florida is running off-track betting in South Dakota. South Dakota gambling rules let off-track parlor owners keep more of the money they make."

Later on the story relates that South Dakota Commerce Secretary David Volk confirmed that several accusations of impropriety have been made against Gallo's business.

So the question now is "if there is no contractual track affiliation or State oversite in South Dakota, how is the rest of the betting public protected?"

[so.cal.fan]

"So the question now is "if there is no contractual track affiliation or State oversite in South Dakota, how is the rest of the betting public protected?"

They are not.

[Figman]

Where's South Dakota's Tom Daschel when you need him?

[so.cal.fan]

It seems to me that betting into these pools nowadays is like sitting down in a crooked poker game.
I've been in racing for over 40 years, and I never thought I'd make a statement like that.:(

[cj]

SoCal,

I'd have to disagree with that. I was just talking about this in another thread (PaceAdvantage Thread (http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=84620#post84620).) If they are making only 2% with a 10% rebate, then I think I am better than they are. Actually, I know that I am. I'll take them on every day of the week

[so.cal.fan]

thanks to electronic wagering and off shore books and hubs owned by "gamblers", racing will soon be on the front page of the New York Times - as one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on the public!


Believe me, CJ, there is no one who would rather not believe this than me.
I have loved racing all my life, my family has made their living in racing for many, many years.

[Show Me the Wire]

so.cal.fan:

You are correct. After hearingg on TVG one winning p6 ticket was sold in St. Kitts, I fell off my chair. There is no place to wager or even watch a horse race in St. Kitts. I know.

I was recently there this past December and I could not wager on or watch my horse run. I stayed at the only casino on the island and it does not have a race or sports book. Even more unbelievaable is the casino does not have an operational satteltie dish, something about being too close to the equator.

There is not much on St. Kitts and I tried every possible outlet where a potential sattelite dish may have been located that could pick up TVG. In short no luck. The only outlet to receive any news on the race was the net.

What must be happening is these hubs are moving the money around after the start and well into the race. The only solution currently is to do what FG is doing in regards to Lewiston hub. Do not accept any wagers or transmissions from these unregulated hubs after one full minute to post. At this time all transmisssions from these hubs will be rejected.

The above measures will stop odd drops on specific races, but will still leave the p6 and p4 vulnerable and the multi-win bets will be vulnerable until all the multi-win pool is comingled prior to the first leg.

In the mean time I like FG's stance and hope all the other tracks will do the same. This is something NTRA consumer panel should be pushing, as a rule, to be applied to only these unregulated OTBs.

Tracks are being compensated through their part of the take-out to insure the intregrity of the pools and currently they are performing inadequately for their compensation.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

Perception is reality

[ranchwest]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski
SoCal,

I'd have to disagree with that. I was just talking about this in another thread (PaceAdvantage Thread (http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=84620#post84620).) If they are making only 2% with a 10% rebate, then I think I am better than they are. Actually, I know that I am. I'll take them on every day of the week

You may be able to beat the add-on percentages, but if there are shenanigans, you can't possibly beat those. How long would it take you to beat a million dollar P6?

[cj]

I just don't see why there have to be "shennanigans." These are the last people who need to try to fix races. I don't play in P6 pools, so no worries there.

I should say, no way I think I could hang with these guys if I tried to keep up the same volume they do. However, sticking to the tracks I know, NYRA, SoCal, and occasionally Maryland, I'll take my chances.

[Show Me the Wire]

cjmilkowski:

It is not about fixing races, it is about when your wager and their wager becomes final. Your wager becomes final as soon as the gate opens. The "shennanigans wager becomes final sometime after the 1/4 pole in a 3/4 race or after the 4th leg of a pick 6. Some have the abilitity in these non-regulated OTBs to access the pool well into a race or into a multi-win exotic.

They don't care about physically fixing races. They care about what horse has the lead at the 1/4 pole and if anything behind the leader has anything left to make a race out of it.

A few years ago GP stopped taking wagers from the Dakota whale rebate shop and unfortunately reversedcourse. Now FG is limiting the Lewiston hub, where there is smoke there is fire.

And the fire is starting to rage out-of-control.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

Perception is reality

[cj]

SMTW...

I definitely agree with that. I am just torn if I actually think it is happening or not. My guess is that it probably is, but I think they do it when a certain type of horse makes the lead, and that is the lower priced ones. You don't see many 20-1 shots make the lead and suddenly become 8-1. You see 7-2 become 8-5, and 5-2 become 1-1. Still definitely wrong, and I see no reason tracks that don't have their data in by off time cannot be rejected. Actually, we all know the reason, MONEY! If a large portion of handle is coming in this way, the tracks won't care until a big stink is made about it. Actually, a huge stink, as big stinks have already been made.

Again though, if you believe my premise that its the lower priced horses this is happing with, it doesn't affect me. If a 5-2 shot sprints to the lead, wins by 5, and pays $3.80, I wasn't going to cash on this horse anyway.

That is short term though, this perception is eventually going to do some serious harm to a sport that cannot afford it, IMO!

[Derek2U]

umm wasn't there some controversy from a OTB in SD maybe a
year ago? i think some guy was "allowed" to use his puter --
which was hooked DIRECTLY into the tote board. IOW, he had
a great edge in last minute betting & last second odds etc.
at least thats my recall of it, Ya No im sayin?

[GameTheory]

The place in St. Kitts is called Racing & Gaming Services. They contract with tracks in the U.S. to provide their accounting services & simulcast operations. I'm not sure what the current agreement is, but I know in the past they've worked with Birmingham Race Course in Alabama (greyhound track) and also Churchhill Downs Inc. All that means (I think), that you never actually go through anyone in St. Kitts to make a wager -- you really are betting with CDI or whoever (the hub), which relays the wager to the track. St. Kitts just gets credit for it.

[Figman]

Game Theory
That's just the problem the industry has to rid itself from - "double and triple hubbing." Racing and Gaming Services (RGS) as you properly stated went through Birmingham. About a year and a half back they dropped Birmingham and now go through Lewiston, Maine that used to be a Grade "Z" harness track. Now Lewiston is a United Tote Eastern United States main hub.

What must be implemented is technology that when a bet is made, it instantaneously arrives at the host track.

By the way, does this fellow in South Dakota that owns his own OTB get all the retention money from the OTBs handle and an RGS rebate on top of that? If so, what a gig he has got going!

[Derek2U]

I couldnt find the cASE i was thinkin of but i think there was a
thread here about if that bettor had the RIGHT to use his
puter into the Toteboard directly.

[GameTheory]

Yeah, I think he was connected through RSI for a while, but then they cut-off his direct tote access after Gulfstream complained...

[takeout]

Originally posted by Derek2U
umm wasn't there some controversy from a OTB in SD maybe a
year ago? i think some guy was "allowed" to use his puter --
which was hooked DIRECTLY into the tote board. IOW, he had
a great edge in last minute betting & last second odds etc.
at least thats my recall of it, Ya No im sayin?
I think that was the *North* Dakota whale. Can't remember his name now. Anyway, didn't they shut that place down or fine them or fire somebody or something?

[so.cal.fan]

I think they did, Takeout, for money laundering.

[superfecta]

what if a similar Fix six operation is being run in the off shore hubs?I saw the court TV special last nite,And now I can see maybe in "unregulated shops"this type of fancy computer work can be done.Some hack does backfitting of the races before payouts are made.Make any sense?

[lousycapperII]

:rolleyes: When a big score is made, every yardbird on the planet believes the "FIX" is in? Typical race track garbage can kickers. You've seen 'em. Their horse is leading by 14 lengths at the 1/4 pole and they're shouting, "I've got 10g's on that nag", only to be beaten at the wire in a photo finish. "Oh, sh!t!" Then comes the garbage can flying down the stairs. :rolleyes:

-LCII

[Figman]

Lousycapper II
Your're missing something in this story. No one has any argument with someone making a "big score." The problem here is that there was first reported that there were two winners, one from Southern California (Los Alamitos) and one from St. Kitts. A couple of days later there is a big story on one of the winners(Gallo) having bet at an OTB located in the North Central United States in South Dakota that the bettor owns, operates and doesn't have a contract to directly send its total betting to any racetrack. St.Kitts pays rebates, that's been established. There's no way you can go to St.Kitts and play the horses, that's been established. So what's going on here????

[Milleruszk]

Fig,

What's going on is what has always gone on. Wherever money is involved, larceny is sure to follow. Just think of all the technology we have developed in the past 10 years. As fast as this technology comes out of the box there is some guy who has already figured out how to beat it. That is one of the conundrums of life..........staying ahead of the crooks!

Tom

[takeout]

Just saw this:

Gallo, who's attending the races at Gulfstream Park, placed his bet by phone through Bettor Racing OTB, an off-track parlor he owns in Sioux Falls, S.D., not the offshore shop on St. Kitts as originally reported by NYRA's mutuel department.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/15538.htm

Now how do you suppose NYRA's mutuel department managed make a mistake like that?

[so.cal.fan]

Gosh you guys, this is getting really depressing!
Does anyone think that now that Santa Anita will be taking "hub" money again, there will be a rash of mysterious betdowns?
Gee.....I'd make a bet that there will be, but then there would be NO VALUE..........<sigh>:(

[Show Me the Wire]

Originally posted by takeout

Now how do you suppose NYRA's mutuel department managed make a mistake like that?

It is difficult to believe NYRA's mutuel department could misidentify the location of the winning bet.

A guess, maybe someone has figured a way to circumvent the host system through routing information. The host system may be fooled into accepting past- posted money due to route circumvention making it seem the money is coming from a legitimate route.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

Perception is reality

[PaceAdvantage]

I like a line from that article:

"Coincidentally, the lone ticket to hit last year's Breeders' Cup Pick 6 for $2.6 million also was bet at a South Dakota OTB."

I wonder if South Dakota OTB had all the winner's in today's NYRA pick six payoff....10 winning tickets paid $37,097.00.....NONE on track....279 consolation pick 5 payoffs......TWO (2), count them, TWO!!! were ON track.....

[so.cal.fan]

PA
Damn I wish you hadn't reminded me of that one.
The winner also has a relative who owns the hub.......and in case you didn't know, Santa Anita invited this guy to attend the races and actually honored him in the winner's circle as the guy who hit the big pick six...........we were so disgusted, we left the track.
I hadn't really talked about it, because it sort of makes me sick.

For all these winning pick sixes to come out of So. Dakota has about as much probabilty as having 12 NBA basketball stars all coming from Sierra Madre, Calif.
I'm no mathematician, perhaps someone could compute the odds of this?:rolleyes:

[Scammam]

Apparently Santa Anita is not the only one who is parading the BC "handicapper" around these days. I read in the DRF that he will be a member of Steve Crist's "team" in the NTRA/DRF National Handicapping Challenge in Las Vegas this weekend!

But here's the bad news, folks. All of the information about South Dakota has been floating around for a couple of years now, and yet no one in the press corps is connecting the dots. I don't want to start a new thread so I won't go into my rant on why that is the case - suffice it to say that when you are quoting articles from DRF over the course of the past year or so that include suspicious connections which were never explored, it would be most embarrassing for the publisher of DRF to include a handicapper on his contest "team" who turns out to be a con.

And now that the NY Post has thrown down the gauntlet by that one little sentence which states NYRA misidentified the source of the other ticket, perhaps Joe Drape (who did all the investigative reporting on the BC Pick 6 scandal and reported it a day before Matt Hegarty of DRF came out with the same stuff - which may be why Joe Drape got the well-deserved Eclipse award last year and not Matt) will take up the call!

And just to give you all one more thing to think about in terms of whether or not the security of computers is inviolate...look at the story of page one of the NY Times internet edition re the use of the Internet for Americans to vote from overseas. Click on the security report and see how many of the vulnerabilities listed in the computer experts' review as to the total lack of security are relevant and most likely existent in our betting systems! And remember, folks, we now have wireless communications and wireless access.

I'm sure you all saw, heard or read about the Director of Oak Tree at Santa Anita when he assured the public that they were secure from any wrongdoings because new locks had been installed on the computer room doors to prevent hackers. Well, who's to say that the hub isn't comprimised by the very OTB's it services - just in the connection and access allowed? And who sets up that connection for South Dakota, but the North Dakota computer firm involved with the shenanigans up there?

There are enough questions out there to make cynical horseplayers believe that the game is not square. What will the public, or the people entranced by Seabiscuit or Funny Cide think when they find out that another major payoff was a fraud? We will never recover from something like that - if you want proof, just look at the historical timeline of the disappearance of racetracks in New England from their heyday in the 40's. Greed took over and scams were perpetrated and a lot of tracks were closed - never to reopen.

I hope we're not going down the same track - I've worked for over 30 years in order to be able to retire and go to the track every day...will there even be a track for me to go to?

Scammam

[so.cal.fan]

Welcome to Pace Advantage Scammam!

[PaceAdvantage]

Yes, excellent post Scammam....

Nobody is saying that Mr. Gallo didn't hit the pick 6 fair and square (at least I'm not). But I'm certainly not going to gloss over some very interesting questions that need to be addressed, especially in the wake of the BC fiasco of 2002....

[Suff]

Originally posted by Scammam
A

I hope we're not going down the same track - I've worked for over 30 years in order to be able to retire and go to the track every day...will there even be a track for me to go to?

Scammam

There is some meat on the bone to the post. No doubt. It's Little bit of connecting the dots with supposition to make it appear the "likelyhood" of impropiety.

The mood I picked up from what I read following the Racing Symposium last month was that the WAGERING panel was a closed door session. There was a real sense of urgency to rien in who touchs the money on the way to the track pools (or not).

The details of the substaincial changes were only revealed through interviews... But it appears they are very eager to rid themselves of Hubs all together...

Here's another blurb from the symposium on the subject of HUBS.






Matt Hegarty @ DRF , Last month.

TUCSON, Ariz. - Racing officials and representatives of bet-processing companies pledged their support on Wednesday for a project launched by The Jockey Club to overhaul the country's electronic network that transmits bets and calculates odds


According to supporters, the project would eliminate the current system of collecting wagering information at local hubs before transmitting it to the track where the live race is taking place. Instead, all bets would immediately be transmitted from wagering sites directly to the live racetrack, as well as to a central database maintained by The Jockey Club

[VetScratch]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
I like a line from that article:

"Coincidentally, the lone ticket to hit last year's Breeders' Cup Pick 6 for $2.6 million also was bet at a South Dakota OTB."

I wonder if South Dakota OTB had all the winner's in today's NYRA pick six payoff....10 winning tickets paid $37,097.00.....NONE on track....279 consolation pick 5 payoffs......TWO (2), count them, TWO!!! were ON track..... Since few members are probably familiar with Fargo, Sioux Falls, or Rapid City, you would become more astounded by these Dakota stories if you paid a visit to these towns. In South Dakota, OTB's are often not much more elaborate than your corner bar selling lottery/keno tickets and pickles. You can equate passing through Sioux Falls on I-29 to a drive though the Holland Tunnel in NYC or the Sumner/Callhan tunnel in Boston.

You folks from the NYC and LA area would fall off your chairs laughing if you were on vacation, looked around, stopped for a beer in any of the three towns, and then remembered all these whale/horseplayer stories... but it is/was actually happening. :) :)

I know Fargo, and I can't figure out where anyone betting $170-million per year could rent or buy an appropriate place to crash. A house above $500,000 hits the market about as often as Halley's Comet comes around! :) :)

[Scammam]

Thank you Vetscratch! You just sealed the deal!

Just as there is no "there" in St. Kitts, the OTB's in SD are nothing more than storefront operations to allow the whales (in Ft. Lauderdale, Bermuda or Del Mar) a means to bet a little bit smarter than the rest of us. Whether it is getting rebates equivalent to 1/2 the handle as was the case in North Dakota, or having a direct tie-in to the "hub" with their set-up and software, these sites function the same as any storefront operation in a law enforcement sting.

Even Mr. Gallo lists his place of residence as So. Fla!

Scammam

[Figman]

Question- If this bet was made with the Bettor OTB in South Dakota as claimed in the Racing Form article, a W-2G should be issued. With the reported winner J.Randy Gallo being such a well known handicapper-bettor, do you think he would make a copy of his W-2G available for the general public to see? Even the system mills selling their wares publish their winning W-2Gs. I'm betting there wasn't a W-2G issued.

[so.cal.fan]

Who oversees these hubs?

[takeout]

Originally posted by Scammam
Just as there is no "there" in St. Kitts, the OTB's in SD are nothing more than storefront operations to allow the whales (in Ft. Lauderdale, Bermuda or Del Mar) a means to bet a little bit smarter than the rest of us.
How true. Here's the lead-in from Bill Finley's interview with Randy Gallo in the July/August 2001 edition of Horse Player magazine:

During a trip to South Dokota to visit a friend in 1996, professional gambler Randy Gallo found paradise by pure chance. Playing dogs at a small off-track betting parlor called the Silver Dollar Saloon, he noticed a gentleman he didn't recognize betting what he called "pretty big money." Gallo, who had been gambling professionally since 1981, was puzzled because he basically knew everyone there was to know in the business. He asked around and found out that the big bettor wasn't just a big player, after all. He was also the owner of the Silver Dollar Saloon.

The next day, Gallo called the South Dakota gaming board. What he found out would change the way he and his colleagues played horses forever. Gallo learned that under South Dakota's free-enterprise law, anyone could open an off-track betting parlor, provided they met certain financial qualifications and passed an intensive background check. A few months after he applied for the license, Gallo was approved by a 5-0 vote and the Bettor Racing OTB in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was a reality.

The last couple of paragraphs from the interview:

In addition to the advantages it provides his gambling ventures, owning Bettor Racing gives Gallo a chance to practice what he preaches, treating players the way he feels racetracks should treat their customers. Approximately 20 people call Bettor Racing their home track on the weekdays, and that number doubles on the weekends. Gallo said that 200 came out for this year's Kentucky Derby. "I set the place up where everything was free," Gallo said proudly. "The food, the drinks. I simulcast feeds from 32 tracks now and the programs are free for every one of them. The two-dollar bettor feels kind of special here."

Gallo seized the opportunity five years ago to create a better racing parlor for him and his partners. There was an edge out there, waiting to be exploited by a big bettor. Randy Gallo found it. It's what he does.
***

[so.cal.fan]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[formula_2002]

For a point of reference;

If the winner was able to break even in the win pools, the fair pick six would be about $1,821,149.25.
about a $600,000 underlay.




Joe M

[Figman]

Still trying to understand the connection between Gallo's Bettor OTB in South Dakota and the winning pick six bet being routed through St. Kitts, then up to Lewiston, Maine and then to NYRA?

It could be as posted earlier, that a company or individual in St.Kitts is doing the accounting work for Gallo's Bettor OTB. HOWEVER, the electronic betting data originating in the USA, and being sent to a "host" track in the USA should not be going out of the United States and then back into the United States. Could it be that there is chicanery happening while the wagering data is not totally secure while out of the country. After all, we are not altogether positive it is safe and secure while within our borders.

Why isn't the NTRA pushing this issue instead of just talking about it at The Arizona Symposium each year. Inquiring minds want to know. Action from the NTRA is demanded! You cannot make new customers for this horse racing with a "dark cloud" relating to its associated pari-mutuel integrity hanging overhead.

[Suff]

Originally posted by VetScratch
or the Sumner/Callhan tunnel in Boston.



When the Gallo Biography was printed in news reports. The opening line has repeatedly been.

Gallo, A Massachusetts native who started bettting PIk6's at the Marshfield Fair and Suffolk Downs back in the 60's & 70's

You know the name of one of our tunnels...What else do you know about Horse Racing in the 60's and 70's in New England?

I figure you probably have some general knowledge, and I fgure anyone that is Famliar with that situation would react like I did when I read that sentence.

A bell went off.

[VetScratch]

I think Figman's question about the W2-G is most intriguing. The SO-CAL ticket was supposedly sold at Los Alamitos, which would have had to issue a W2-G. On Gallo's ticket, we really should wonder why St. Kitts keeps coming up in reports, like that by NYRA, because that would really be a coup for Gallo... at GP with a phone, owns Sioux Falls OTB, takes out AQU P6 where the withholding and reporting consequences of a W2-G are not chump change if a W2-G was avoided. If (and we don't know yet) someone with a phone in Florida and an OTB in SD can score like that and avoid both a W2-G and the payout ceilings imposed by the off-shore shops, there is something rotton in Denmark.

Do the off-shore shops take their payout ceilings off for big players like Gallo? If not, how does St. Kitts fit in? Why would even a hub computer in St. Kitts be in this picture unless Gallo phoned the bet to an off-shore shop?

From the Guliani report, we know P6 wagers are not forwarded to host tracks from hubs until after the 4th leg. That means P6 bets are in remote pari-mutuel computers and hub computers for quite a while... and if domestic bets are getting stored on hubs in St. Kitts or Mexico (where RSI claimed to have operated a hub) then it should make folks wonder. I would have more confidence in the integrity of computer security if on-shore bets stayed on-shore.

[VetScratch]

Suff,

You can turn your alarm off. :)

There's a popular place called Logan Airport that is handier to get to and from via the tunnels rather than swimming. :)

[Tom]

Originally posted by VetScratch
Suff,

You can turn your alarm off. :)

There's a popular place called Logan Airport that is handier to get to and from via the tunnels rather than swimming. :)

Unless you get eaten up by that #^&$^&*%^ traffic circle. I spent 1975 going round and round and round in that damn thing!:mad:

[Suff]

Originally posted by VetScratch
Suff,

You can turn your alarm off. :)

There's a popular place called Logan Airport that is handier to get to and from via the tunnels rather than swimming. :)

The Ted Williams is the new and hottest tunnel out to the airport.. But that is on the South Side of town. I live in the shadows of the Bunker Hill Monument...and the Callahan is still the tunnel of record for the city crowd.

I was referring to the Race Fixing scandal that embroiled New England Racing. It was widely known that Suffolk races were fixed..

Only as a Point of Interest.. The Gentleman that currently tops the FBI's most wanted list was involved in it. Whitey Bulger. And many members of his Irish Mob from the Winter Hill Gang went to prison over it.

This guy Gallo was active and successful in New England Racing when being successful in these parts required that you be wired in.

[Pace Cap'n]

Does anyone recall a write-up on the St. Kitts operation a couple of years ago? I think it was in the DRF, not sure.

As I recall, the gist of the story was about an offshore book that catered to big bettors (ok, whales), that membership was by invitation or referral only, they had a limit of 80 clients, and were quite generous with rebates. Needless to say, their handle was rather large. And went through Lewiston.

What this has to do with the Pic-6 and Gallo I'm not sure, but this St. Kitts thing is not your typical offshore betting shop.

[GR1@HTR]

I've been to Mr. Gallos OTB and had dinner with him. He is a very legitimate better who plays p6 carryovers for the most part...dogs and horses. Very few horseplayers can wager competitively with him. I sure do envy his daily life of horseplay, even before hit the big one. A very nice and respectable human being.

[JimG]

GR1,

If Gallo's a dog player too, he can't be all bad!

:D

Jim

[PaceAdvantage]

I guess everyone who is still talking about St. Kitts is forgetting the line from the recent NY Post article:

Gallo, who's attending the races at Gulfstream Park, placed his bet by phone through Bettor Racing OTB, an off-track parlor he owns in Sioux Falls, S.D., not the offshore shop on St. Kitts as originally reported by NYRA's mutuel department.


How do you confuse Sioux Falls South Dakota with St. Kitts British West Indies??? How would you even come up with St. Kitts as a MISTAKE????

[BillW]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
I guess everyone who is still talking about St. Kitts is forgetting the line from the recent NY Post article:




How do you confuse Sioux Falls South Dakota with St. Kitts British West Indies??? How would you even come up with St. Kitts as a MISTAKE????

Was it a verified source, that was in a position to know that originally reported the source from the NYRA? A lot of people can say a lot of stuff that would be quoted in the media, just to get a story.

Bill

[kenwoodallpromos]

Google shows interesting info on "Joey Gallo" and "Mafia". Joey had 2 brothers in the NY mafia also! Joey killed 1962, wrote books. Allso a Ma Gallo tried to kill Sec of State George Shultz, and went to looney bin!

[PaceAdvantage]

More like off topic....Gallo is a very, very common name....

[VetScratch]

PA,

Gallo is a great name... think what we would pay for wine without the Gallo Bros. :)

From your post:

I guess everyone who is still talking about St. Kitts is forgetting the line from the recent NY Post article:

Gallo, who's attending the races at Gulfstream Park, placed his bet by phone through Bettor Racing OTB, an off-track parlor he owns in Sioux Falls, S.D., not the offshore shop on St. Kitts as originally reported by NYRA's mutuel department.

How do you confuse Sioux Falls South Dakota with St. Kitts British West Indies??? How would you even come up with St. Kitts as a MISTAKE????

==========
Beyond the big question you pose at the end... someone with new information correct me if I am wrong... but I do not believe interstate phone wagers can be legally taken by SD OTBs.

In the old days, some Vegas racebook managers would covertly take phone bets that were illegal from a select group of favored players. Now, unless the SD laws have changed or the NY Post is wrong, we must at least question Gallo's bet and whether other favored Better Racing customers can roam the globe with cell phones... I know of no one with an "actual" interstate phone betting account at a SD OTB... so such bets would be based on personal credit, which is not the way the rest of us have to bet, and I believe gambling on credit is illegal in SD.

Someone correct me if you have an update on SD laws and whether interstate phone wagers can be taken.

[Figman]

I'm not going to correct you VS but add to your line of thinking. A few years ago Greyhound Track owners in Florida, especially around Palm Beach, petitioned the State to have telephone account betting as their business was declining. The State of Florida refused to legalize telephone account wagering. So the track owners setup THE GREYHOUND CHANNEL in Oregon which now is known as U.S.Off-Track. There is also have an extremely fast growing associated company called EURO Off Track. Euro Off Track's handle is faster growing than any other account betting service yet you rarely ever hear of them. The main offices for both companies are remain in Florida with all betting handled through Oregon to get around the Florida law. So when it all comes out "in the wash", Gallo calling in the wagers from Florida for himself or anyone else to Bettor OTB is an illegal activity under Florida law too.

[VetScratch]

Figman,

Most everyone who claims to know Gallo reports that he is a great guy and both fascinating to be with and learn from. But rules are rules. As usual, I only question how long it will be until racing figures out that all these murky wagering issues must be resolved.

=======

Takeout,

Approximately 20 people call Bettor Racing their home track on the weekdays, and that number doubles on the weekends. Gallo said that 200 came out for this year's Kentucky Derby.If all 200 opened and spread out their Daily Racing Forms, some of them must have studied the race while standing on the street or the nearby railroad tracks, at least according to a one cowboy who says he was there soon after it opened.

=======

When you consider many of the sparsely populated states that most of you see only from 30,000 feet, you probably don't appreciate the gambling operations that can be privately established in some states, in addition to all the Indian gambling operations.

Here is a sure fire get rich formula where ideal laws permit:
(1) Shop for just the right location in accordance with licensing regulations.
(2) Build your complex: restaurant, lounge & service bars, 20 bowling lanes, keno parlor (or link up to on-line keno), video poker/slots pit, only state licensed off-premise hard liquor store in the immediate area, video rental desk (mostly porn), big playroom and video game area for the kiddies, and a strip of motel bedrooms.

On weekends, from 30,000 feet, the stream of pick-ups headed for your joint will look like ants returning to their anthill.

=========

South Dakota Indian Casinos

On the other hand, if you fancy meeting an Indian Princess, check out how many places you can look in South Dakota alone: http://www.nativecasinos.com/southdakota/

Many states that are relaxing regulations on privatized gambling are curiously remaining steadfast in prohibiting the sale of alcohol at Indian gambling operations. So you may need to BYOB if you think cocktails will help woo that Indian Princess! Fortunately, SD does have Indian casinos that serve alcohol.

[PaceAdvantage]

The only way I could see the NYRA Mutuel Department reporting the bet came from St. Kitts is that somehow, a bet placed in South Dakota is routed through St. Kitts in the Caribbean.

However, is this even legal? And why, if OTBs are legal in South Dakota, would they have to route the bets offshore?

This is really the only explanation that can exist for NYRA to first report in their official press release that one of the two winning pick six tickets was from St. Kitts in the British West Indies.

BTW, internet gaming must be big business in St. Kitts, as this FAQ on the official government website:

http://www.stkittsnevis.net/faqs9.html

[Suff]

Originally posted by kenwoodallpromos
Google shows interesting info on "Joey Gallo" and "Mafia". Joey had 2 brothers in the NY mafia also! Joey killed 1962, wrote books. Allso a Ma Gallo tried to kill Sec of State George Shultz, and went to looney bin!

I was pretty ambivalent about Scamman's post. I orginally Posted it was filled with supposistions. The I made an other post about Gallo's betting roots. a quick two things.

I made a stretch there ... guilt by assocciation. I'm not convinced he wasn't plugged in... It was a FLYER... I'm just talking here...

I was thinking at work today that I better be careful what I say about a person on this board. I don'nt know the Man. When I saw Kendallwood post that he was checking the Mafia Rolls for his name. It woke me up. I apologize to Mr. Gallo.


As far as the other thing.... I live on Winter Hill, I grew up here. My Father had a store front at 18-20 BROADWAY for 25 years... Dead on the Winter Hill-Charlestown line. Charlestown is small hard-core boston irish nieghborhood... its small.. only ONE Square mile.. Its a hard place to describe.. but its a world I know many on this board,,,,Irish or not have never seen.

That whole group of people, are the people I grew up with. Friends of my Fathers or Uncles . I have 5 Uncles on my Dads side and 4 on my mothers side. All 4 of my Grand Parents were Born in Ireland. They came to America between 1898 and 1919.

The Irish run Boston and Mafia's an Italian word anyway. Wrong search.


From the federal indictment
They also fixed races at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., and several other racetracks by paying jockeys to hold back their horses, the documents say.

In a 50-page federal document released yesterday, for the first time prosecutors - based on Martorano's bombshell offer to tell all - say they can pin murders on the two men.

The document, known as an information, also offers a detailed look at the Winter Hill Gang and how it ran bookie, gambling, loansharking and race-fixing operations through intimidation, violence and fear.

In exchange for a 12 -year prison term, Martorano, 58, has agreed to plead guilty to 10 murders in Massachusetts, along with one in Florida and another in Oklahoma. He will also provide investigators with details on eight other murders that took place in Massachusetts as far back as 1965.

According to Martorano, Bulger, 70, and Flemmi, 64, helped him kill in the 1970s when the Winter Hill Gang was at its most powerful, lording over independent bookies and drug dealers, after reaching detente with the Italian Mafia. Bulger and Flemmi, looking to expand their base, moved to eliminate rivals, investigators say.

Martorano was their enforcer.

Though in court papers Bulger and Flemmi are identified as John Doe No. 1 and No. 2, their identities are clear.

Martorano charges that one or both men ordered the killing of World Jai Alai chairman Roger Wheeler, who was slain as he left a Tulsa, Okla., country club in 1981.

He will also accuse them of ordering the murder of John Callahan, World Jai Alai's former president, whose body was stashed in the trunk of a Cadillac at Miami International Airport in 1982.

In addition, Martorano claims Bulger or Flemmi helped him kill seven other men between 1973 and 1976 - James Sousa, Thomas King, Edward Connors, Richard Castucci, Michael Milano, Al Plummer and James O'Toole.

Plummer, a 48-year-old longshoreman, was machine-gunned down on Commercial Street in the North End on March 18, 1973.

Castucci, 47, of Revere, a convicted loanshark and former owner of the Ebb Tide Lounge, was found inside a blue sleeping bag in the trunk of his car. He was shot once in the head.

Martorano decided to turn against his former cronies after hearing from Flemmi in federal court that he and Bulger had been working for decades as high-level FBI informants.

``He just got so angry at Flemmi and Whitey,'' said a friend. ``He couldn't take it any longer.''

Authorities have admitted the two were snitches, but insisted they were never given a pass on violence. They were permitted only to run their loan sharking and gambling businesses.

Bulger, 70, is a fugitive. He fled after being indicted for racketeering in 1995. Flemmi, who is behind bars awaiting charges, was incensed by Martorano's claims.

His lawyer, Kenneth Fishman, called them ``scurrilous'' and ``fanciful'' and accused prosecutors of retaliating against Flemmi for embarrassing them.

According to the court documents, the Winter Hill Gang has been running gambling, extortion and loansharking businesses out of various spots in Somerville, Boston's West End, South Boston and Brookline since 1970.

Martorano, 58, was one of the gang's leaders in the 1970s.

He ran a sports betting business, but took off in 1979 after being indicted for racketeering.

Even so, he continued to operate his gambling business from Florida where he lived under the name ``John Lytle'' or ``Vincent Rancourt,'' until he was captured in 1995, the documents say.

He laundered some of his gambling proceeds through a luxury car dealership in Boca Raton.

His brother, James, according to the document, was also a member of the Winter Hill Gang in the 1970s but later became a capo regime in the Mafia, under reputed New England Mafia boss Francis ``Cadillac Frank'' Salemme.

Though Bulger and Flemmi, the documents say, controlled the Winter Hill Gang since 1979, Bulger ``often, but not always'' acted through intermediaries ``to insulate himself from criminal liability.''

Between 1978 and 1994 the Winter Hill Gang collected ``rent'' from several Boston area bookies including Burton Krantz, Edward Lewis, James Katz, Thomas Ryan and Richard O'Brien.

They also fixed races at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., and several other racetracks by paying jockeys to hold back their horses, the documents say

[Scammam]

And have you forgotten or just left out the shooting in the clubhouse at Suffolk (or Suffering Downs as some called it); the fact that Walter Blum was dq'ed "for life" as a rider in New England and shows up as the State Steward in Florida where he's been for the last 25 years; and Lefty Nickerson gets expelled by the Marlbourough Fair only to get John Henry?

Payoffs for silence???

[Suff]

Originally posted by Scammam
And have you forgotten or just left out the shooting in the clubhouse at Suffolk (or Suffering Downs as some called it); the

Payoffs for silence???

Talk to my laywer. Who are you? I'm sufficiently spooked now.

I told the guys about me going WWF in there one night and was back the next day like nuthin happa. The place was a zoo.

[delayjf]

I am assuming that there is a state income tax in SD. I know for a fact that Florida has no state income tax.

So, why would a man who is located in Florida make a bet in SD knowing that he would be subject to that states income taxes?

Assuming 7% in SD, that would be over 70,000 dollars. In California, that would be about 90,000.

[VetScratch]

Geez, Louise!!!

I thought I was in the midst of a rough crowd one time up in Sturgis, SD, when the Angels roared into town... but you guys have that beat! I think I'll just wring out my mop and head for the bus stop if you don't mind. :)

[Derek2U]

yeah & buy a 1-way ticket .. i like u here in PA Very Much ...
if u weren't here i b quite moreyBunD & thats not cause I like
U but cause ur a Leper sorta like that martha stewart who I also
adore (but 4 diff reasons cause shes RicH) ... but kiddin aside,
ur a great distraction so stay in PA but like KerrY don't exceed my
limit 4 boredom, OK? its my ONLY vice that when U bore me ur
a non-sequitur. "sHall i write a book or take 2 the stage.?"
(my Solange is becKening 2 GO, so adios)

[VetScratch]

D2U,

From the powder room wall at the Royal Flush Casino & Bar in Sturgis, SD:

To all the Angels that need 3 more,
drink Doctor Pepper at 10, 2, and 4!

[PaceAdvantage]

Let's keep this puppy on TOPIC, for I am interested in this subject very much....

[kenwoodallpromos]

I guess the SD Gallo family cannot be all bad- after all, they compete in their own capping contests and allow 2 entries each!!

[Tom]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
More like off topic....Gallo is a very, very common name....


And an excellent WINE!:rolleyes:

[Figman]

As mentioned earlier, Bettor OTB of South Dakota is/was connected with Racing Services of North Dakota that was/is connected with Racing and Gaming Services of St. Kitts that was connected with the Birmingham race track hub in Alabama. Lewiston of Maine for some unknown reason (tax implications?) has replaced Birmingham of Alabama as the gathering point of all wagers before those betting totals are sent to the host race tracks. Confused yet?
Here's a story written after RGS began operations in 1998.
http://tinyurl.com/2ypl7

[Holy Bull]

Racing Services has nothing to do with RGS, in fact at least before RSI was shut down they were rivals. The reason they originally said St. Kitts was a mistake, but also because 8 times out of 10 that is where they come from. Not due to any grand conspiracy, thats just where the large tickets, winners and losers are played day in and day out on pick 6's. Ross Gallo is one of the exceptions of the big pick 6 players that don't play through RGS, but he too puts large tickets in pick 6 carryovers day in and day out.

[Figman]

Holy Bull
Can you answer the question how the Bettor OTB wagering gets to NYRA?

[Holy Bull]

I don't know who Bettor Racing OTB's hub is. It is not technically possible for it St. Kitts.

[Figman]

Ok. Here is a list of hubs for you. Included on page 23 is the list of about 12 South Dakota outlets but no BETTOR OTB. So BETTOR OTB does not go through what would be expected as the regular South Dakota connecting hub.
http://tinyurl.com/3de3n

[VetScratch]

Figman,

Now that he's left RSI, "Peter Wagner" is supposedly playing through Indian location(s) in Arizona, and I noticed the Arizona Hub also curiously includes Racing Services in ND.

With respect to the Better Racing OTB, however, the list contains no locations with an area code and 3-digit local prefix that match the two listed numbers for Better Racing in Sioux Falls.

[VetScratch]

Another comprehensive list is the TRA alpha-code assignment list. You will notice Better Racing (SD) exists here misspelled as Bettor Racing (SD), which is not the way the OTB actually spells its name or lists it in Sioux Falls phone listings.

At first when I couldn't find "Better," I wondered... but I guess telepathy really isn't the way they fit into the wagering system.

http://www.tra-online.com/customerid.html

[Figman]

There is only one answer.
Bettor Racing OTB is set up as a "tax dodge" outlet for mainland RGS "shareholders!" By rerouting all Bettor Racing OTB wagers there is no withholding or any tax paid by winners as the settlements are made with an offshore concern. So Mr. Gallo or whoever you represented, let's see a copy of the W2G from that big pick six recent win at NYRA. Make it available through the NTRA or better yet, the TRA that lists all wagering hubs and where neither VetScratch nor Figman can find your OTB pari-mutuel routing.

Maybe, somehow, a regulator in South Dakota or New York will be made aware of this situation. Who did NYRA make their settlement with? We know there are regulators in NY as they solved the Breeders Cup Pick Six scam but I won't hold my breathe waiting for South Dakota regulators to do something about leveling the playing field. If there are SD regulators, they surely must know what is happening at Bettor OTB.

[VetScratch]

Figman,

What you said makes a lot of sense since the documented preference of Gallo any others is to focus on big pool/carryover opportunities where a W2-G would normally be inevitable.

When there are $50,000+ payoff opportunities, playing for 100% of it sure beats playing for 72% (with additional tax possibly due on April 15th)! Just another gross inequity for Mr./Ms. EveryPlayer!

Problem is that it is not a problem of financial consequence to the host tracks!

[PaceAdvantage]

Don't jump to any conclusions without the info required. You may look silly in the end. All of this conjecture is pointless. The questions are out there. Let them be answered by those with much better first hand info than you or I.

We've done our job by asking these questions in the first place.

[Holy Bull]

Your theory ignores the fact that Bettor Racing cannot be hubbed through RGS/St Kitts because it isn't even a hub :)

It would have to be hubbed through Lewiston Maine which is a United tote hub I believe and all of the Dakotas are Autotote.

Ack never mind I give up.

[InsideThePylons-MW]

Originally posted by Holy Bull
Your theory ignores the fact that Bettor Racing cannot be hubbed through RGS/St Kitts because it isn't even a hub :)

It would have to be hubbed through Lewiston Maine which is a United tote hub I believe and all of the Dakotas are Autotote.

Ack never mind I give up.

Holy Bull is 100% correct.

The initial report was wrong. They corrected it in their next report. Someone probably just said that a rebate shop hit it and assumed RGS.

There is no relation whatsoever between any shop in the Dakotas and RGS (st. Kitts).

BTW....What exactly is the copyright situation regarding the charts on equibase?

[Scammam]

Well said!

[VetScratch]

Originally posted by Holy Bull
Racing Services has nothing to do with RGS, in fact at least before RSI was shut down they were rivals. The reason they originally said St. Kitts was a mistake, but also because 8 times out of 10 that is where they come from. Not due to any grand conspiracy, thats just where the large tickets, winners and losers are played day in and day out on pick 6's. Ross Gallo is one of the exceptions of the big pick 6 players that don't play through RGS, but he too puts large tickets in pick 6 carryovers day in and day out. Is This A Fair Analysis & Question About St. Kitts?

In the Caribbean, there are two types of islands left over from the British Empire:
(1) U.K. Territorial Possessions such as Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Monserrat, and the Turks and Caicos. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/bwi.htm
(2) Sovereign Nations such as St. Kitts/Nevis, which still ceremoniously acknowledges the Queen and is a voluntary member of the Commonwealth association of 53 sovereign states. Other Commonwealth islands include Antigua, Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/kn.htm

Whether or not you view these islands as off-shore banking havens, the ones that best adhere to and enforce honest financial and governmental standards attract the kind of foreign deposits, investments, and businesses that benefit from integrity within the confines of any U.K. territory or Commonwealth state.

By self admission, St. Kitts has a notoriously bad reputation in this respect.

July 2003
http://www.unesco.org/csi/smis/siv/Caribbean/skn-competitiv.htm
Financial services have been adversely affected by all sorts of international pressure, including blacklisting and 'bad mouthing.'... ...says Prime Minister Douglas.

Indeed, St. Kitts/Nevis is the headquarters for the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, which links the economies of islands that use the XCD (East Carribean dollar), many of whom have been characterized as transshipment points for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe and financial centers for money-laundering activities.

According to St. Kitts/Nevis law (see PA's earlier link), a wagering shop must use island banking institutions.

I think it is fair to ask why a wagering shop for whales, handling very substantial accounts and wagers, would select St. Kitts for a home, or why the whales would flock to a site where the honesty and security of financial transactions are suspect?

If avoiding U.S. gambling taxes is seen as a benefit to whales, it would seem that there are more secure and credible locations for whales to find this benefit.

[InsideThePylons-MW]

Originally posted by VetScratch
[B]
I think it is fair to ask why a wagering shop for whales, handling very substantial accounts and wagers, would select St. Kitts for a home, or why the whales would flock to a site where the honesty and security of financial transactions are suspect?

If avoiding U.S. gambling taxes is seen as a benefit to whales, it would seem that there are more secure and credible locations for whales to find this benefit.

I have heard that the top of the line escorts in St. Kitts are young, stunningly beautiful, eager to do whatever you want, and extraordinarily reasonable.

Then again, St. Kitts offers some of the best plankton in the world.
:D

[Pace Cap'n]

You all ain't even going to believe this.

Kent Meyer, who just won the DRF/NTRA handicapping contest in Vegas, qualified for the tournament at--where else--Bettor Racing OTB in Sioux Falls, SD.

[VetScratch]

Originally posted by InsideThePylons-MW
I have heard that the top of the line escorts in St. Kitts are young, stunningly beautiful, eager to do whatever you want, and extraordinarily reasonable. :D Everyone has their own peculiar tastes. One might observe that the CIA World Factbook definition of literacy in St. Kitts is "attended at least one day of school," presumably including kindergarten. This is the CIA's lowest-level definition for measuring literacy... so I guess shallow waters must explain why whales get beached there! :D

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by VetScratch
Everyone has their own peculiar tastes. One might observe that the CIA World Factbook definition of literacy in St. Kitts is "attended at least one day of school," presumably including kindergarten. This is the CIA's lowest-level definition for measuring literacy... so I guess shallow waters must explain why whales get beached there! :D

very clever....my dear......

Inside the pylons; a little taste for debauchery huh?

at least post a link to the info...huh?

[VetScratch]

BTW, I stand corrected on Bettor versus Better... my search of businesses in Sioux Falls for "BETTER RACING" automatically returned BETTOR RACING OTB with two numbers on East 12th Street, and that is where the OTB is. I should have noticed... my bad.

[Figman]

from the very informative Albany Law School website-

The South Dakota OTB’s – the home of one of the winning bets in NYRA’s huge Pick Six on Saturday – exhibit one of the strangest patterns in pari-mutuel handle that we’ve seen. In fiscal year 2000, total wagering at the SD OTB’s was $31.7 million. $18.6 million was on horses and $13.1 million on dogs. The next year, total OTB handle rose to $39.6 million with $28.6 million on horses –an increase of 54%. In fiscal year 2002, total OTB handle fell to $28.7 million. Horse handle fell by 41% to $16.8 million. Handle similarly fell in FY 2003 which ended in June, but there are no published figures available. For the first five months of FY2004, horse racing handle is down by 17.4%. Projecting five months of handle for the full fiscal year, it is likely that SD OTB handle on horse racing for FY 2004 will be about $9.5 million, which will mean that horse racing handle will have decreased by more than two-thirds in the course of three years. Additionally, dog racing handle in SD is now 16% higher than horse handle even though there are no dog tracks in SD.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Is your point motive or whale and bridge jumper betting?

[Dave_K]

Looks like the Gallo family has discovered The Secret of handicapping. Four (count 'em, four) members of the family have made it to the finals of the National Handicapping Championship.

This article is from DRF:

http://www.drf.com/nhc/2003/onthewire3_101103.html