At a time when there is no shortage of legal issues surrounding horse racing, the three-day Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga kicks off on Monday, August 12.
Timely horse racing topics scheduled for discussion include ongoing litigation involving the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority and also addressing issues of how the sport is regulated or overseen. A panel will discuss whether the sport needs more communication between stewards and fans to keep up with trends in other sports.
Some panels promise to dig deeper into some interesting topics. The HISA panel that kicks things off on Monday, for example, will also look at whether the sport can expect any regulatory savings as HISA takes over some regulatory responsibilities from the states. The panel, which includes four chief executives from prominent state governing bodies—California, Florida, New York and Texas—is scheduled to discuss any changes they’ve made.
“Have state regulators downsized? Have they laid off staff, cut budgets, or cut taxes for the industry? Regulators across the country will discuss how they are adapting to the new HISA world order,” the topic description reads.
Other racing-related topics scheduled for the conference include on Tuesday a look at some of the sport’s success stories, including Belmont Park The board is expected to include New York Racing Association CEO and President David O’Rourke and Thoroughbred Horse Association CEO and President Alan Foreman.
On Wednesday, the conference will look at pari-mutuel betting issues, specifically in relation to international tournaments, and a second panel will look at how horse racing fits into the emerging sports betting market.
The panel will then discuss whether horse racing can find a seat at the sports betting table. The description notes that, “Horse bettors and, more importantly, industry executives view horse betting as the original and ultimate in sports betting. On the other hand, many sports bettors and sports betting executives view horse betting as something to do without offering “real” sports. In other words, filler content, somewhere between volleyball and cricket. All of this comes down to pricing and integration negotiations. Are the tracks overpricing their product or are bookmakers underpricing horse racing? Will the horse racing industry ever accept the role of a niche player on a much larger platform or will the future be a more regulated and competitive horse racing-only platform? Bookmakers will share their insights.”
Patrick Brown, co-founder of the Horse Racing and Gaming Conference, will deliver a series of opening remarks to kick off the conference at 2 p.m. ET Monday at the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Hilton. Jason Werth, a former major league star and co-owner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch will give a keynote speech at the event on Tuesday.
