Santa Anita Park Installs Slot-Machine-Style Gambling
Nov 3, 2023; Santa Anita, CA, USA; Unquestionable (8), with jockey Ryan Moore up, win the BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE TURF during the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Santa Anita Park has introduced slot-machine-style gambling as a way to help boost track revenue.
Santa Anita Park’s Slot-Machine-Style Gambling
Santa Anita, a popular track that has hosted the Breeders’ Cup, has implemented a major change to its gambling practice.
The famous track now has slot-machine-style gambling available on past horse races.
According to Press Enterprise, historical horse racing gaming will now be used at Santa Anita as a way to increase revenue and purses. This style of gambling has generated significant revenue in other states, so California will try to jump on the trend.
On the main floor of the grandstand, there were about two dozen “Racing On Demand” machines. Even without a public announcement regarding the machines, Santa Anita provided instructors to help explain the machines to potential bettors.
Racing On Demand players may wager $1 on a “3×3” bet. A player needs to hit three trifectas or smaller by getting fewer combinations correct to hit the jackpot. The races from tracks outside of California are from years past. However, the information provided isn’t enough to inform bettors about which races they are.
Fans can then watch videos of the races with their bet results.
This new style of gambling is considered parimutuel. These bets are considered to be against a common pool and not the house. Santa Anita believes this practice is legal and does not violate California tribal gaming exclusivity.
Santa Anita Hopes New Games Help Grow Track’s Popularity
These Racing on Demand machines could have a significant impact on the future of Santa Anita. The revenue generated from the slot-machine-style gambling could help supplement Santa Anita purses.
It can also help Santa Anita recruit top horses, jockeys, and trainers to race at the track.
“California racing is struggling. I don’t think that’s a secret,” said Scott Daruty, Santa Anita’s senior vice president. “We’ve got to come up with some additional ideas and additional revenue streams. This is a product we’ve spent a lot of time designing to be compliant with California law. These games, as you see them, have never been in play anywhere else. They were designed specifically for here. Hopefully it’s something that leads to the long-term stability of racing.”
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