#US RACING: PARI-MUTUEL BETTING INCREASES IN CALIFORNIA YEAR ON YEAR

US$118.4 million in 2021, US$99.8 million in 2020

Total money generated from pari-mutuel wagering for the benefit of California Thoroughbred purses increased to US$118.4 million in 2021 from US$99.8 million in 2020, according to data released January 26 by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). This growth was supported in part by an increase in the number of daytime Thoroughbred races run in California—from 2,469 in 2020 to 2,785 in 2021.

"These 2021 purse generation numbers are a great indicator of the power and resilience of California racing," said TOC chairman Gary Fenton. "We are particularly excited to see the substantial increase of wagering on California races from both California residents and out-of-state handicappers, which grew from US$1.48 billion in 2020 to US$1.806 billion in 2021. The good news continues, as these purse generation figures do not include the US$7 million in supplemental purse contributions TOC negotiated with TVG or the US$28 million of 2021 Breeders' Cup weekend purses, so the actual purses paid out in California were even higher. Even better," Fenton concluded, "the horse population is going up again, and purse levels are also expected to rise again in 2022. It's never been a better time to race in California."

The purse data is provided by the California Horse Racing Information Management System. These purse generation numbers exclude purses generated at Breeders' Cup November 5-6 at Del Mar as those funds revert to Breeders' Cup Ltd in exchange for its funding of the purses for Breeders' Cup Championships and undercard.