Friday, December 21, 2007

Wagering after...

The betting windows are supposed to close when the starting gate opens during a horse race, but Kentucky racing officials are investigating one incident and perhaps others in which wagering was allowed well after the horses broke from the post.

Although there has been no evidence of criminal activity, members of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority expressed concern Monday about whether technical glitches and human error threaten to undermine the integrity of off-track betting.

At issue are bets placed at Keeneland last month for a race at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Mike Maloney, a Keeneland bettor, told track officials he was able to bet on the race while watching it live on simulcasting monitors as the horse sped down the track.

Maloney, who lost money on the race, kept betting on the same horse and made the bets only to place attention on the problems with the system, said Lisa Underwood, KHRA's executive director. Maloney also mentioned the problems during a speech earlier this month to the Racing & Gaming Symposium in Tucson, Ariz.