Steve DeCaspers

With racing's temporary opportunity as the only game in town, the TDN's Katie Ritz took a poll of some industry insiders known to like a good bet and asked them: what is one simple way that tracks could make betting more friendly for existing horseplayers and/or more effective at bringing in new players? As you'll see, none of them could stop at just one. Number 1: Horseplayer Ombudsman Racetracks should hire a horseplayer ombudsman who would--to steal from legendary Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee's description of the role at his...

Close to 700 handicappers will compete for a record prize pool of $2.95 million when the 21st annual National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) gets underway Friday at Bally's Las Vegas casino,having previously been held at the Treasure Island. The three-day event, which brings together qualifiers from a variety of tournaments from coast-to-coast, offers a top prize of $800,000 and the title of Horseplayer of the Year. Including complimentary travel and hotel accommodations, cash and awards total $3.8 million. "The NHC is a true celebration of the horseplayer--the individuals who fuel every...