Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association

Woodbine goes Vegas

June 9, 2010

You can bet on Woodbine races at the track itself, on the Internet and in dozens of off-track facilities across North America. But until this week, you couldn’t do it at the most influential and prominent gambling mecca in the world.

That all changed with the breakthrough this week that both harness and thoroughbred action from Canada’s biggest racing outfit is now up on the big boards in the sports and race books of Las Vegas.

The move is a major development for the Woodbine Entertainment Group as it continues its emergence as one of the most viable wagering options for horseplayers south of the border.

“It’s a statement as well as contributing to our overall (betting handle),” Woodbine’s chief operating officer, Sean Pinsonneault, told the Toronto Sun on Tuesday. “There’s a lot to be said about the perception of being in Vegas and we want to be there.”

While Woodbine officials have long explored the possibility of getting their action in the glitzy casinos of the Nevada desert, there were too many regulatory hurdles to make it happen.

With those cleared, the response has been overwhelming with the action available in 83 casinos. Included in the group are many of the prominent properties in Sin City such as Caesar’s Palace, the MGM Grand, Wynn Las Vegas, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and more.

Why would Vegas care about little old Woodbine?

For starters, it isn’t a small player any more. Other than quality, there’s nothing horse players like more than big fields which more and more has become a rarity in North American racing.

The more horses in a race, the greater the opportunity there is for a big payoff and thoroughbred tracks in California, New York and Kentucky have seen a dramatic decline in field size in recent years.

Woodbine was also attractive to Vegas casinos because of the sheer size of its betting pools. This past weekend, more than $3 million was bet on both Saturday and Sunday thoroughbred cards at the Rexdale track. With pools that rich, big bettors are attracted to the product because larger wagers don’t greatly diminish their potential payoffs.

“You look out there and there are a lot of tracks suffering with field size,” Pinsonneault said. “That has not been a problem we have had. We are getting good traction in the U.S. and we expect that to continue. The player wants field size and pool size.”

Pinsonneault wouldn’t speculate how much Woodbine’s handle will grow because of the new exposure and it will take some time for Vegas gamblers to recognize and grow familiar with the new offerings.

But with one of the better simulcast offerings in terms of television production, it shouldn’t take long for gamblers to take notice.

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Woodbine goes Vegas