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Posted: 10/29/04
New horse race betting machines in Texas raise concerns
By Ferrell Foster
Texas Baptist Communications
GRAND PRAIRIE–Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie has introduced new horse race betting machines, and gambling foes have voiced concern.
The machines let gamblers bet on races at other tracks around the nation. That practice already is allowed via simulcasts at Lone Star Park, but the new machines allow bettors to sit at a slot-machine like device and choose from a simplified list of betting options.
“It is a very simplified wagering terminal,” said Jean Cook, public information officer for the Texas Racing Commission. “It is designed to give a person a few choices … instead of an intimidating number of choices.”
A race is featured every five minutes from some track in the country, she said.
That simplicity and speed causes concern for gambling opponents.
“The only real reason to invest in these types of machines is to solicit new gamblers and to make it faster,” said Suzii Paynter, director of public policy for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. “One of the things we know about gambling is that addiction rates go up the faster you're able to place bets.”
The Racing Commission gave Lone Star Park permission to use the machines for a two-week period beginning Oct. 21. The timing coincides with the track hosting the prestigious Breeders' Cup thoroughbred race.
Track officials indicated the trial period would provide “a chance for them to showcase these machines” for race fans from around the world, Cook said.
The machines, called Horse Wizards, currently are in use at only about five tracks in the world, she noted.
“They look like slot machines,” Paynter said. “They have the simulated sound of coins dropping and lights that flash at the top and the horses (on the display) spin around.”
But the distinction between simulation and the real thing matters, said Cook of the Texas Racing Commission.
“While it has some of the cosmetic features of a slot machine, these are not slot machines,” she said. “These are pari-mutuel wagering terminals. … A person is wagering on the outcome of a live horse race. Only the Legislature can authorize games of chance such as slot machines.”
Paynter fears such machines are close to becoming games of chance. “When you don't know what race is coming up next, then you can't be informed about who the horses are and who the jockeys are, so that moves it from being a game of skill where the information you have determines which horses you bet on.”
The terminals avoid the game-of-chance designation by providing three computerized “experts” to help bettors.
“Solid Sam is the most conservative of our handicappers,” a Horse Wizard brochure from Lone Star Park states. “The morning line odds are established by the track handicapper for all horses entered in each race based upon his review of the horses' past performances and the horses' ability to win the designated race.”
Paynter acknowledges that “right now they're operating within the law … because there is handicapping. … It's legal as far as we know.
“But they clearly are a step toward more of a game of chance and not a game of skill. … We don't have enough information about these machines, … but the trend is that they become more and more a game of chance.”
Another important distinction is whether terminal betting affects the odds on the different horses. Cook said the bets placed on Horse Wizards at Lone Star Park do affect the odds.
That is not the case with similar machines used in other states, the CLC's Paynter said.
Also, she said, it's important that live races are used. “What they're assuring us right now is that the race is happening at the same time you're watching it.”
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Some states allow previously run races to be used with identifying marks obscured.
So, how does it work? Normally, racetrack patrons place their bets at a teller's window or via a self-service machine, Cook said. These provide a wide variety of options that can be intimidating to inexperienced bettors.
The Horse Wizards allow a person to either place a $2 bet for a horse to “show”–finish in the top three–or a $6, $15, $30 or $60 bet for a horse to “win, place or show”–win refers to first place, place to second and show to third.
Bettors purchase a Horse Wizard card in the Horse Wizard Lounge, a brochure from Lone Star Park states. The card is then inserted into a betting machine, which keeps a running total of the balance.
A race is featured every five minutes from some track in the country. All races are telecast live on the Horse Wizard machine, Cook said.
When the bettor is through, he or she takes the card to the Horse Wizard Lounge and receives the amount of money tallied from their bets, which may be more or less than their original purchase.