In all, $61,803,279 was wagered in the first six months this year compared with $46,663,434 in 2019. TVG handled the most with $33,332,419, a 46% increase over $22,701,313 during the same time period last year. Bettors wagered $17,677,691 via Twin Spires, 9% more than 2019’s tally of $16,180,618. Xpressbet was next with $8,138,608 in handle compared with $6,347,946 — a 28% increase — while NYRABets, newest of the four, saw an 85% increase in business. They handled $2,654,560 compared with $1,433,554.
Of the six-month reporting period, June’s handle of $15,624,034 was the best of any.
Aside from on line betting, all four Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums and their live simulcast centers reopened on July 1 along with two VA-Horseplay OTBs — Breakers Sports Grille in Henrico and Buckets Bar & Grill in Chesapeake. The Windmill OTB in Collinsville is expected to open soon.
Additional favorable numbers could be on the horizon as racing heads into a prime weekend with major stakes on tap at tracks around the country. Del Mar hosts the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on Saturday (July 18) and Saratoga — which opens Thursday July 16 — will host the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes and Grade 3 Schuylerville on opening day and the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks on Saturday. Monmouth hosts a pair of Grade I stakes on Saturday — the $1 million Haskell and United Nations — while Meadowlands harness presents the $682,00 Meadowlands Pace Final.
And topping it off, Colonial Downs opens in less than two weeks! A six-week season will run from July 27 – September 2 with racing every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:30 PM. Virginia Derby Night is scheduled for Tuesday September 1, same week as the Kentucky Derby which is four days later on September 5.