Thoroughbred Idea Foundation

No business can change what it does not measure. Racing's public measurement of support, via wagering, hides serious issues. Recent stories have continued to cite declines in total handle, wondering just what is at play. How that handle has been derived has changed dramatically, but that's not reflected in the overall numbers. Over the last century, U.S. racetracks have reported total handle on their races and, for most of that time, it was one metric that accurately depicted the health of the business. But in our modern era of simulcasting,...

Fixed-odds betting options on horse racing could come to New York residents if a new bill introduced by Senator Joseph Addabbo, Chairman of the state Senate's Racing, gaming and Wagering Committee, is passed, according to a story from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. Senate Bill 2343 is similar to a measure introduced a year ago, also by Sen. Addabbo, but which was never advanced for a vote, TIF reports. "There should be no doubt amongst racing stakeholders that our existing pari-mutuel offerings are not enough in today's competitive market," said Thoroughbred...

A month ago, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), a think tank that uses independent research to try and drive changes in the sport, brought to light an example of what it said was brazen quinella pari-mutuel pool manipulation at Gulfstream Park. The scheme was apparently designed to jack up the odds the manipulator would receive on winning bets placed with non-pari-mutuel offshore bookies that paid on-track prices. On Wednesday, Pat Cummings, the TIF's executive director, told an audience at the Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona...

From Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Since publishing our story on a pool manipulation incident at Gulfstream Park, TIF has received or noticed a variety of comments and questions about it and also identified a new incident of manipulation from Saturday, Nov. 19 at Laurel Park. We hope to answer some of those questions and provide more context for those trying to understand what is involved in threatening the integrity of the sport. Among the questions we tackle: How often does this happen and why? I don't understand this...could you explain, step-by-step,...

Through the conclusion of racing at Keeneland Sunday Oct. 15, more than $1.1 million has been returned to bettors since the introduction of penny breakage--rounding pari-mutuel winnings to the penny and not the dime--less than two months ago, according to a blog post from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF). TIF was a vocal supporter and champion of the penny breakage provision, the first of its kind in North America as part of broader legislation designed to standardize pari-mutuel taxation. "The total is even higher than $1.1 million, that is just...

There has never before been an effective, institutional advocate for horseplayers in North American racing, but Pat Cummings and the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation have emphatically changed that in the past several years. As the TIF's executive director, Cummings has brought to light many of the myriad issues and injustices facing horse bettors like no one has before, and Tuesday, Cummings joined Bettor Things with Joe Bianca for an illuminating conversation about the progress made on behalf of players in recent years and how much work there still is left to...

There has never before been an effective, institutional advocate for horseplayers in North American racing, but Pat Cummings and the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation have emphatically changed that in the past several years. As the TIF's executive director, Cummings has brought to light many of the myriad issues and injustices facing horse bettors like no one has before, and Tuesday, Cummings joined Bettor Things with Joe Bianca for an illuminating conversation about the progress made on behalf of players in recent years and how much work there still is left to...

by the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation  In an unusual incident on Tuesday, Sept. 6, a horse reported to betting outlets as a scratch for 40 minutes prior to the start of a pick four sequence at Mountaineer Park was later unscratched after betting was closed and allowed to race. Remarkably, all pick four bets placed were paid to the actual results. "There are some similarities to the Modern Games (Ire) incident from last year's Breeders' Cup," said TIF Executive Director Patrick Cummings, "and it proves that wagering rules are in desperate...

"One of the most urgent issues facing our industry is that of improved electronic security for the pari-mutuel wagering system." This simple declaration was part of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA)'s five-year strategic plan covering 2006 through 2010, and published in 2005. Approaching two decades later, there has been little progress on the topic, and recent wagering incidents in the summer of 2022 highlight the long-term failure to address these problems. If you think the stewards are always in charge of stopping wagering when the race begins, think again....

by the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation The rule seems clear. What is also clear is that the rule, as written, was ignored on Thursday, July 21 at Saratoga, though by which party is unknown at present. "On behalf of aggrieved horseplayers who were impacted by the decision last Thursday, and all future players of multi-race bets in New York, we felt it necessary to seek clarification from the New York State Gaming Commission about the rules, why a seemingly arbitrary decision was made in the sequence and what customer expectations should...

When the .69-to-1 favorite returned $3.38 to win at Ellis Park in the first race on July 15, the to-the-penny payoffs represented a massively positive paradigm shift for horseplayers. Under a new Kentucky law that eliminates dime breakage at the state's tracks, bettors will no longer be subject to the disadvantageous, industry-wide practice of down-rounding that, in the above instance, would have sliced the return on that winning $2 wager to $3.20. Yes, penny breakage looks a bit odd to the eye. But getting used to the concept will be...

From the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Bettors wagering on racing from Kentucky will enjoy returns paid to the penny beginning Friday, July 15. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission confirmed to the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) the shift will take effect this week, three months after legislation enabling the change to penny breakage was passed by the Kentucky General Assembly and signed into law. "This is a welcome and long overdue shift in pari-mutuel wagering to pay bettors the entirety of their duly deserved winnings," said Patrick Cummings, TIF's Executive Director. "Kentucky...