NYRA to Throttle CAW in All Pools Minute Before Post

During a Dec. 9 panel at the Global Symposium on Racing, New York Racing Association president and CEO David O'Rourke revealed an upcoming shift in how NYRA will manage computer-assisted wagering. Beginning next month, the operator plans to throttle CAW play across multiple wagering pools at one minute until post, limiting these high-volume players or teams to the six bets per second ceiling that applies to retail customers. Speaking during "The Sustainability Algorithm: Balancing CAW Growth with Racing's Long-Term Health" panel at the conference taking place in Tucson, Ariz., O'Rourke discussed steps aimed at lessening late-cycle odds volatility—a long-held frustration among retail horseplayers who believe the pari-mutuel system is skewed against them. O'Rourke was joined on the Pat Cummings-moderated panel by economist, horse owner, and horseplayer Dr. Marshall Gramm; Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing for Horseshoe Indianapolis; and Scott Daruty, president of Monarch Content Management and Elite Turf Club. Elite Turf Club is one of several CAW platforms. O'Rourke's announced move follows a limitation NYRA has placed on CAW in the win pool for years, which had shut off such play at two minutes to post. Del Mar and Santa Anita Park are two other tracks that have since followed suit in this practice; efforts that have dramatically reduced late-odds fluctuations in their win pools, according to studies conducted by Gramm. Other leading tracks, such as Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Gulfstream Park—which do not have such a restriction—have much more common odds swings, he added. O'Rourke said retail bettors have contributed to odds changes as well as CAW, with many bettors wagering in the last minutes on their phones. "This volatility has gotten a little out of hand. So let's put some guardrails in," he said. The one-minute threshold also will apply to the win pool when the changes are made to align with other bets, O'Rourke added. CAW bettors account for 20% or more of the handle at some racetracks. Usually, CAW wagers are placed during the final moments before a race's start through sophisticated wagering technologies. This results in a lag in information to players, as the true odds for a race are only published on simulcast feeds and tote boards after the start. Cummings asked how NYRA would prevent or restrict CAW players from betting massive amounts, hypothetically, on exactas within the six-bets-per-second window. O'Rourke responded by saying that tracks need to "get cycle times up" and that NYRA has asked the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau to "create an odds volatility metric so we can start to measure it." Daruty later responded that CAW will still be able to place large wagers under the six-bets-per-second restriction, but "Does that mean this policy is a failure? I don't believe so." During the panel, O'Rourke also described NYRA's intention to make raw data feeds publicly available, perhaps as early as next month. Advance deposit wagering platforms currently provide this access to their bettors, Daruty said. Cummings, who has advocated for retail players and fielded an audience question from horseplayer Andy Asaro toward the conclusion of the discussion, urged other operators in the Symposium audience to follow NYRA's lead. NYRA's efforts come at a time when wagering confidence among traditional horseplayers is strained. "You all could use some really good PR head to explain a lot of things more regularly from official sources because it shouldn't be coming from us," Cummings said.