Following late-March news of a planned shutdown of FanDuel TV's horse racing broadcast operations, commissioners and staff from the California Horse Racing Board discussed efforts at its May 13 meeting to encourage the company to reconsider or delay the action.
Raising the topic near the conclusion of the board's bimonthly meeting in Sacramento, vice chairman Oscar Gonzales expressed support for workers affected by the announced phase-out and voiced concern about the effect reduced television coverage could have at a time when California racing already faces economic challenges.
The discussion came shortly after CHRB executive director Scott Chaney reported declines in California wagering during his executive director's report. He noted that handle on afternoon racing, in which Thoroughbred racing is spotlighted, is down 6% year to date, with steeper declines at night due in large part to the absence of Standardbred racing in the state. Standardbred racing is scheduled to resume at Fresno this fall, Chaney said.
California, unlike other major racing states, does not have gaming to support racing.
Gonzales, mentioning FanDuel TV's offices in Southern California, read from a March 31 letter from the board of directors of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters to leadership at FanDuel TV and its parent company, Flutter Entertainment, urging them to reconsider the phase-out and highlighting the impact of job cuts on more than 170 employees.
(Editor's Note: This author is president of the NTWAB.)
READ: FanDuel Asked to Reconsider Action
Flutter Entertainment's stock is down about 60% over the past year. A review of FanDuel TV operations showed that "support for a linear network didn't align with its long-term strategy," Andrew Moore, general manager of racing for FanDuel, told Paulick Report.
READ: Fan Duel's Television Phase Out Shocks Racing Industry
FanDuel TV—formerly known as TVG before a rebrand—has served for more than two decades as a central hub for live racing broadcasts, wagering analysis, and on-site reporting from racetracks across the country, including Southern California venues.
Chaney supported the idea of contacting FanDuel, saying perhaps "so we can find either both soft-landing spots for all of the people affected, but more importantly, a replacement if that's necessary. I do know that (New York Racing Association), The Jockey Club, and a few of the national organizations are talking about a replacement, which I think is critical for national racing. ... This is a national problem, right? It's just not a California one because FanDuel served the entire country. So we're actually aligned with every other state in this endeavor."
Commissioner Damascus Castellanos, who advocates for workers' rights as secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 495, agreed with the idea of engaging with FanDuel TV leadership.
As the state's regulator, the CHRB is responsible for approving licenses for entities involved in California horse racing, including advance-deposit wagering platforms such as FanDuel. FanDuel plans to continue operating its wagering platform.
