On-track handle and NYRA Rewards account wagering demonstrated huge
gains during the 2011 Belmont
Park fall meet and
attendance also increased, while all-sources handle declined from last year.
On-track wagering on NYRA races during the Belmont fall meet totaled $41,656,097, up
45.4 percent over last year’s total of $28,656,204, while attendance
increased 4.6 percent to 133,369 compared with 127,540 during last year’s
meet, which was 35 days. The 2011 Belmont
fall meet was scheduled for 37 days but only had 35 full days of racing, one
day that was canceled after three races due to weather, and another that was
canceled prior to the start of racing due to weather.
NYRA Rewards account wagering, including wagers made on simulcast
races, also demonstrated tremendous growth, with Telebet phone wagering up 216
percent ($8,280,728 vs. $2,620,682) and internet wagering up 234 percent
($12,786,902 vs. $3,825,633).
All-sources handle, comprising all wagers made on NYRA races, fell 10.3
percent from last year’s meet, with $263,037,788 wagered this year as
compared to $293,163,373 in 2010.
Simulcast wagering during the Belmont
fall meet, comprising wagers made on non-NYRA races, increased 209 percent to
$37,587,023, up from the $12,165,718 bet on simulcast races during last
year’s meet.
There were 123 turf races run during the 2011 Belmont fall meet, down 8.2 percent from the
134 turf races run last year, with 35 races being taken off the turf both
years.
Total betting interests during the meet numbered 2,756, a 2.0 percent
drop from last year’s 2,812, and average betting interests per race
dropped 2.6 percent, with an average of 8.25 this year compared to 8.47 last
year. This year, 334 races were run during the Belmont fall meet compared with 332 last
year.