Gulfstream Park Roulette
The Stronach Group, an organization that COO Tim Ritvo said isn't afraid to go out “on the ledge' when it comes to testing new ideas in horse racing, launched the Pegasus World Cup in 2016. For 2019, the series has expanded to include lucrative races on dirt and turf.
- Gulfstream Park was the highest-profile track operating during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring. On March 28, it ran one of its signature races – the Grade 1 Florida Derby – without spectators after closing to the public on March 13. Since June, owners and invited guests have watched races inside Gulfstream Park.
- The Rocket Park (IRE) 5-1 (9-13) Chased leaders, pushed along over 3f out, outpaced over 2f out, soon beaten, 4th of 5, 8 1/2l behind The Cincinnati Kid (9-6) at Chelmsford City 1m 6f hcp (5) pol.
With the third Pegasus World Cup coming up Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park, Ritvo said Horse Racing Roulette could make its Gulfstream Park debut around the same time.
Introduction of the Horse Racing Roulette wager followed at the current Santa Anita Park meet. That concept could be in for even faster growth coinciding with the upcoming Pegasus.
Horse Racing Roulette, similar to the casino game, made its debut at Santa Anita Park on opening day Dec. 26 and was available on track and through Xpressbet, The Stronach Group’s advance deposit wagering service. With the third Pegasus World Cup coming up Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park, Ritvo said Horse Racing Roulette could make its Gulfstream Park debut around the same time.
Gulfstream Park is located in Hallandale Beach, and is one of the most popular racetracks in North America. Its popularity is helped by its ability to continuously attract high-quality fields and by the fact that the track also stages a number of lucrative contests throughout the course of the season. Now, Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach also has a game that's pretty close to roulette, except without the wheel (at least for now).
“Stronach Group, we think we’re a large market share of the industry, so we think just sitting still and not trying new things and allowing things just to be status quo hurt us,” Ritvo said. “We need to be successful. We need to be innovative. We don’t want to sit back and be stagnant. The competition has already got a good jump on us in lots of new entertainment dollars.”
Horse Racing Roulette, presented to The Stronach Group by Cantor Gaming, works by placing horses into three different groups – red, black or green. The morning line favorite is usually be part of the red group, while the green group is mostly comprised of longshots. Players win when a horse from the designated color group they bet finishes first. The field requires a minimum of six horses, and it’s a $2 minimum wager.
The takeout is 15.43 percent, the same as Santa Anita’s win, place and show pools. But, as a recent story in The Thoroughbred Daily News points out, the takeout when playing roulette in Las Vegas is a much more friendly 5.26 percent. By law, Santa Anita cannot further lower the takeout on a pari-mutuel racing wager.
In addition to expanding to Gulfstream Park, horizontal and vertical Horse Racing Roulette wagers are also being considered.
Gulfstream Park Roulette Wager
Ritvo also said The Stronach Group welcomes all interested Advanced Deposit Wagering services to write software that incorporates Horse Racing Roulette.
“Obviously, we want line of distribution, and it’s good for the industry,” he said, “so we love sharing the new things we’re doing.”
Although Ritvo noted Horse Racing Roulette has received positive feedback from novice players, not all experienced handicappers agree. The payouts are smaller than the traditional win pool due to less risk, and handicapping Horse Racing Roulette requires less skill.
“The culture in the racing business is anytime you change something, people aren’t accustomed to change,” Ritvo said. “We’re trying new things not to be offensive to any of the existing players. We’re just trying to create new things to bring new players in. Everybody has a different idea on how to do that, but we’re going to try a bunch of things.
Gulfstream Park Roulette Bet
“We have thick skin,” he added. “Sometimes you get attacked for trying new things. The bottom line is, we’ll try them. If they work, great. If they don’t, then we’ll try something else.”