ADW Consolidation

[bull_zeye]

In case folks don't know Darkhorse Bet has 'merged' with Xpressbet.

https://darkhorsebet.com/farewell

This is is a loss for players. DarkHorse had a strong rebate program and xpressbet rebates are ridiculous. When I was shopping for a new ADW to move away from CDI and Twinspires Darkhorse was one of my choices. But they were upfront and told me their plans to merge with Xpressbet. Once the Xpressbet agent told me you need 10000 credits for a $10 betting voucher and (it takes $7000 in handle to get 10k in credits) I knew this was not an option for me .

This is a loss for players. The more the big ADWs can consume the smaller but more customer focused ADWs the more we as horse players all loose.

Will racetracks with partnerships/ownerships or other exclusive arrangements with ADWs continue to deny their signals to smaller ADW's helping to drive them out of business? Customers want all track available and will choose an ADW that can provide that.

Will governance laws continue to make it impossible for some ADWs to offer certain tracks to their customers based on geographic or governance differences ?

Will the horse player's world be a better one when 90% of ADW transactions are handled by 2 ADW companies, (one of which with history of treating the horse player with disdain)?

I think not. I think the more ADWs with unrestricted signals in the market place the better for horse players. Competition pushes better customer service and better rebates. Consolidation of ADW capacity is simply moving towards the creation of ADW monopolies and this is never a desirable solution for the customer.

Choose wisely my friends !!

[highnote]

See my related post here: http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...d.php?t=114072

Several years ago the Connecticut Attorney General forced Xpressbet to close the accounts of Connecticut residents.

As you can see in my post above The Racing Channel closed my account this week due to a mandate from the CT Attorney General.

Interesting that Xpressbet's name pops up here today. Maybe there is a connection?

Why do I get the feeling that there is some back door dealing going on?

Who were the people behind Darkhorse?

I found this:

https://bet.darkhorsebet.com/help

and this:

About DarkHorseBet

DarkHorseBet is an on-line wagering site created by a horseplayer, committed to the horseplayer, with an aim to grow the game.

We have a full menu of thoroughbred and harness tracks to choose from, with live video racing streams and a video replay library at no charge to you.

We have an easy to use interface and all wagers go into the pari-mutuel pools at the track.

We have an unmatched players reward program that earns you cash back on every wager you make, win or lose!

Our mission is to take care of you, the horseplayer, with great customer service and to support the horseracing community.

We are U.S. licensed, bonded, and insured.

[Hoofless_Wonder]

Originally Posted by highnote

... Why do I get the feeling that there is some back door dealing going on?....

Because there is.

Every state's politicians have their grubby fingers in the pie, in one or another. For the states that don't allow ADWs, you know they're getting kickbacks from somewhere else (i.e., casinos) to keep the competition out. For states that do allow ADWs, there's plenty of back room deals going on - often squeezing out the little guys, certain tracks, certain companies, etc.

I agree with bull_zeye. The smaller ADWs can provide better service or higher rebates, but the "Big 3" definitely have the ears of the policy makers in many states to keep them out, often through higher licensing fees that make it financially impossible for a smaller ADW to adhere to the requirements.

[Seabiscuit@AR]

The future is

1. The small ADWs will vanish and there will be 1 to 3 big ADWs left

2. The remaining big ADWs will keep putting up takeout rates

3. Turnover will fall and interest in horse racing will fade so the racetracks will be converted into casinos providing a better ROI for those who own the racetrack real estate

[Robert Goren]

Small ADWs have been crushed by the fees/taxes imposed by large states NY and PA on their residents using out of state ADWs. As more states either ban ADWs outright or try to force their resident to use instate ADWs, the small ADWs are losing customers right and left. You not can blame their owners for selling while they still have something to sell. The large ADWs will survive by running the instate ADWs. It is a brave new world coming again for people who bet on horse racing. The era of large rebate is coming to an end for all but the very biggest of bettors.

[pandy]

Originally Posted by Robert Goren

Small ADWs have been crushed by the fees/taxes imposed by large states NY and PA on their residents using out of state ADWs. As more states either ban ADWs outright or try to force their resident to use instate ADWs, the small ADWs are losing customers right and left. You not can blame their owners for selling while they still have something to sell. The large ADWs will survive by running the instate ADWs. It is a brave new world coming again for people who bet on horse racing. The era of large rebate is coming to an end for all but the very biggest of bettors.

Yes, and it's right back where it started, only the big bettors will get rebates.

[drib]

Originally Posted by Robert Goren

Small ADWs have been crushed by the fees/taxes imposed by large states NY and PA on their residents using out of state ADWs. As more states either ban ADWs outright or try to force their resident to use instate ADWs, the small ADWs are losing customers right and left. You not can blame their owners for selling while they still have something to sell. The large ADWs will survive by running the instate ADWs. It is a brave new world coming again for people who bet on horse racing. The era of large rebate is coming to an end for all but the very biggest of bettors.

I started a recent thread about pigs at the trough (,http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...d.php?t=114034) but, understand one thing: The states are well aware that these monopolies are illegal; in fact, no one anywhere has ever been charged for violating the statutes. They realize that with any court case, the whole thing falls apart. Typical of racing, the hogs use economic power; for example. the same ADW's that just might go to court and overturn these laws have to negotiate rates for the NYRA signal. This is where the state of Connecticut might upset everything b/c, without a race track and major fan base, they lack the extortionate tools that might keep an ADW out of court.