It's now illegal to accept online horse bets from Texas.

[BillW]

Typically in cases like this, the industry is behind it and the gov't just rubber stamps it, assuming they know what's best for them. TUP pulled this off in Az.

[DJofSD]

No bets from Tx -- just in time for the Breeder's Cup? Oh my.

[RainMan]

For us Texans this issue rears its ugly head every few years. However, this time it may be reality. The problem is that the ADW's and Texas have always had different interpretations of the law when it comes to the state's right to regulate interstate transactions. More frustrating is the fact that neither side will give you a straight answer. In the past I have contacted Austin and got nowhere. Just got off the phone with TwinSpires customer service a few minutes ago and asked if it was now illegal to bet from Texas. Short answer was "Our status hasn't changed."
Even though I went through the BrisBet to BetPad to Twinspires process, I am thinking that I should go ahead and cash out and close my account this time. Morally, I am not a big fan of breaking the law. Economically, I don't want to take even the remote chance of ending up with "frozen assets".

[Cholly]

http://www.paulickreport.com/news/th...race-wagering/

Does anybody have any insight as to how this plays out? Should I start packing my bags?

[RainMan]

Guess the ADW's aren't too worried. I've called TwinSpires and XpressBet. Both are still taking new customers from Texas.

[BuddyOscar]

Does anyone foresee a scenario where they would go after the individuals placing wagers rather than the ADW's? Or is this law strictly aimed at the companies accepting the wagers?

[BillW]

Originally Posted by BuddyOscar

Does anyone foresee a scenario where they would go after the individuals placing wagers rather than the ADW's? Or is this law strictly aimed at the companies accepting the wagers?

I don't see how they can enforce Texas law on an (for instance) Oregon corporation beyond disallowing a license to operate in Texas.

[raybo]

Well, there's one thing that we can all do, Texas residents or not, blackball all Texas tracks. If they want to run our tracks out of business, and that's what will happen if this thing plays out, let's help speed it along. Maybe they'll see what's happening in time to change their thinking a little. What are they going to do, put slots in the tracks? Not hardly, the Baptists would not allow it.

I live here and don't want to see Hou, LS, and Ret go under, but if the state wants to run the way we spend our money, then they can do so with no racing revenue at all. The TRC is there only because we have racing here, if there are no tracks, then there will be no reason for having a TRC.

I've already notified Chuck Trout, at the TRC, that I will never visit a Texas track, as long as laws like this remain on the books.

here's his email: chuck.trout@txrc.state.tx.us

[raybo]

Originally Posted by BillW

I don't see how they can enforce Texas law on an (for instance) Oregon corporation beyond disallowing a license to operate in Texas.

I know when Texas passed the law making it illegal for Texas residents to wager on Texas tracks via the internet, Brisnet, my ADW at the time, said "Let Texas enforce their own laws", they kept taking bets from us on Texas tracks until they sold out. No one that I have ever heard anywhere, was ever prosecuted for breaking that law.

[raybo]

Originally Posted by raybo

Well, as a Texas resident, and an ADW wagerer, this is probably the end of racing for me.

This is absolutely the stupidest thing that the state could have done. Now, Texas tracks will receive less revenue than before. Texans quit betting Texas tracks back when GW pushed the law through that banned residents from wagering on Texas tracks via the internet. Now they'e taken the next step, making it illegal to wager on any tracks via the internet. We're talking millions of dollars for all US tracks.

HANA, where are you?

Do they think anything positive will come from this?

Absolutely ridiculous!

I'm calling for a boycott of all Texas tracks on my forum.

Join us and tell state and federal governments that they have no right telling us where and how to spend our money!

HANA really needs to get involved in this situation, the industry, and we as players, will all suffer. This could be the last straw for US racing.

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by cj

More people without a clue:

"ADW accounts siphon revenue from Texas tracks and Texas governance. A Texan wagering from home on a New York race through a Kentucky ADW account excludes Texas from the transaction. This state gets a revenue slice only if that race occurs at a Texas track."

Do they actually think people will just start going to the track again? Please.

Well, of course ADW accounts siphon revenue from Texas tracks. Texas made it against the law to bet on Texas tracks. That pretty much just leaves out of state tracks, eh? Sheesh, does it take a brainasaur to figure this out?

[Jeff P]

Originally Posted by raybo

I'm calling for a boycott of all Texas tracks on my forum.

Join us and tell state and federal governments that they have no right telling us where and how to spend our money!

HANA really needs to get involved in this situation, the industry, and we as players, will all suffer. This could be the last straw for US racing.

I agree Ray.

If you are a Texas player and feel the same way, shoot us an email at:
horseplayersassociation@gmail.com


-jp

.

[highnote]

From the article that started this thread:

ADW accounts siphon revenue from Texas tracks and Texas governance. A Texan wagering from home on a New York race through a Kentucky ADW account excludes Texas from the transaction. This state gets a revenue slice only if that race occurs at a Texas track.

This is like passing a law to ban Texas citizens from buying books online because Texas brick and mortar bookstores don't get a cut of the revenue.

Why should a Texas track get a piece of the online wagering action on other tracks made through out-of-state ADWs? Maybe the management of Texas tracks should get entrepreneurial and start their own ADWs and sign people up so they can make a commission? Maybe the government of Texas should give incentives to those who want to start up a business in Texas? Instead these ignorant pols do the exact opposite of what should be done and end up stifling business.

Texas tracks should not get a commission for doing nothing. Since they know they can't get a commission for doing nothing, their response is to force a ban on out-of-state wagering by Texans. Gotta love protectionism! One more nail in the coffin of racing in Texas.

Hey Texas racetrack industry folks and politicians ... good luck competing with NYRA now that there are slots at Aqueduct. It's going to take more than a ban on your citizens to bring back the health of Texas racing.

If I owned an ADW the first thing I would do is start an advertising campaign that says, "We take bets from Texas residents".

[RainMan]

Enough about theories and opinions - what are the nuts and bolts of this crisis. Are us Texas horseplayers required to close our accounts immediately or do we just keep playing a.k.a. as breaking the law until we get caught or the ADW's comply and disallow Texas residents. Also, does this Texas law affect playing on-line NHC and HWS handicapping contests. For example, several qualifying sites are independent but in order to play the TwinSpires and XpressBet tournaments you are required to have an account. So, since it is now illegal to wager on-line is it also illegal to maintain a wagering account for the other benefits that they offer such as access to contests and race replays?

[Robert Goren]

Looks like Twinspires has reponded by dropping Lone Star, I went to make a bet there last night and it was gone. I know they had it last summer.