Wagering went from US$10,922,936,290 in 2020 to US$12,218,407,637 last year
Note – all reference to money is in United States dollar
The handle for Thoroughbred racing was up in the U.S. in 2021, according to economic indicators released by Equibase. The numbers showed an 11.9 percent increase from 2020.
Wagering on U.S. races went from $10,922,936,290 in 2020 to $12,218,407,637 last year. The increase came along with a bump to other numbers, included U.S. race days, which jumped from 3,302 to 4,072, and U.S. races, which climbed from 27,700 to 33,567.
“Against an extraordinarily difficult backdrop, the resiliency of Thoroughbred racing was on full display in 2021 as we concluded the year with significant growth in purses and total handle of more than $12 billion, the highest since 2009,” National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney said in a release. “We thank our customers for their ongoing support as their wagering dollars continue to fuel our industry.”
Despite the overall increase in handle, year over year, the numbers were not all positive for racing’s return from a COVID-impacted year. Field size took a dive, dropping 7.2 percent, from 7.94 horses per race to 7.37.
Average wagering per race day also fell significantly, dropping from $3,307,976 to $3,000,591, a 9.3 percent decrease.
Purses were up across the board in 2021, jumping 10.1 percent, from $263,407 per race day, to $289,994.
The biggest difference between the two years was seen in the first half of 2021 vs. 2020, which was when many tracks went through COVID shutdowns. Wagering was up 24.2 percent, year over year, in that time period. In the second half between those years the increase was only 1.21 percent.
Other indicators also looked better in the first half of the years, with race days jumping 44.6 percent and races jumping by 44.8 percent. In the second half, the increases to those numbers were a less impressive 9.5 and 5.8 percent, respectively.
