30 March 2007

Holy Soprano: Major Gambling Bust/Woodbine Opens

Holy Soprano! 64 arrested in New Jersey/New York gambling sting

Polytrack "broken" at Woodbine, Willmot states

Speaking of Woodbine, it opens tomorrow. Here are some selections:

Bear's Swan will be a tough favorite to beat in the 1st, but watch for Chantal "The Babe" Sutherland on longshot Can't Bluff Mulvey to run a big race.
I really like Pete's Wonder in the second race with Ramsammy who is also on Archer's Dream in the fourth (shouldn't be worse than second).
"The Babe" is on a real live one, Miss Bella Luna, in the 5th.
In the 7th, I like the exactor of Red Raffles onto Sue's Regent.
Juli's Dancer should run a big one in the 9th.

I like the first time 5 year old angles for male horses this time of the year.

The Ontario Government Is Clueless and should get out of the gambling business. They should let companies that specialize in gambling take over, writer urges.

Offshore casinos still getting lots of action from U.S. gamblers


ORC Annual Report On-line

Senate approves slots at Indiana racetracks.

Legislative committee approves Indian racino in Maine for standardbreds

Seneca Alleghany Casino opens


Kansas Gaming Bill Passes

Dubai World Cup Past Performances

Article claims that Exchange betting yields a 20% higher return for the average horse bettor

To totally embarrass myself, I also have selections for the big races at Dubai:

2nd Race Singing Poet, Spring At Last
3rd Race Folk, Day Pass
4th Race Friendly Island, Thor's Echo
5th Race Quijano
6th Race Pompeii Ruler, Best Name
7th Race Invasor
****International Races are my weakness. Give me a $10,000 non winners of two claiming race instead.

28 March 2007

One Billion Dollar Lawsuit Launched Against OLGC and Other Headlines


1.1 Billion Dollar Class Action Suit Launced Against OLGC If successful it would mean free tickets for a special draw for anybody who buys lottery tickets or proves they bought them in the past. Sounds like a really stupid lawsuit. Just a way for lawyers to possibly make a killing.


Police Open Investigation Over Fraudulent Ontario Wins Probably way too late in almost every case.

ESI's Citadel subsiduary moving from Vancouver to Malta. Concerned about increased negativity of Canadian government towards internet gambling.


Teletheatres in Dresden, Quinte, and Woodstock still not operating because of contract disputes
. HPI has suspended betting accounts from those areas as well since January.

Great Lakes Downs and San Luis Rey Downs probably for sale Magna hints Racetracks without slots make profitability almost impossible in most regions.

Horse Racing Joke:
There was a very rich gentleman who wanted a scientific method to be able to predict the outcome of any horse race. He asked a geneticist, a statistician and a physicist to look at the problem and promised each a million dollars if they could find a solution.

After a year of study the gentleman asks the scientists what they have come up with.

The geneticist says, "Well, we have looked at parentage, genetic composition, hormone levels, and musculature of all the horses raced last year, and we could find no pattern amongst the winners.."

The statistician says, "We looked at the history of each and every race. We compared times, owners, ages, parentage, and many other variables. We could find no pattern that would pick winners more than 35% of the time."

The physicist says, "We calculated the solution from first principles, and here it is!" He hands an encyclopedias worth of papers to the wealthy gentleman. The gentleman responds by returning a million dollars in cash to the physicist.

"Well done!" he cries, "But how did you do it?"

"Well remember it is limited to certain types of races," says the physicist, "it only works for races where spherical horse are moving in a vacuum...."

Donald Trump billboard gets hacked in Toronto

Grand River director Jim McLeod passes away after battling cancer


Unconfirmed rumour has it that Ontario sire Elajjud died. His offspring have done extremely well to date on Woodbine's Polytrack. A very under rated sire.

26 March 2007

Neteller Ceasing Internet Gambling Transactions In Canada

NeTeller to cease doing on-line gambling transactions in Canada and Turkey
April 9th is the cutoff date for gambling related transactions involving Canadian customers, and InstaCash transactions stopped today.
I'm a little perplexed. Not sure who is turning up the heat here. Internet gambling in Canada has been a grey area for quite some time, and I haven't seen anything to change the colour into black and white.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming ignored obvious fraud cases; Ombudsman report gives 23 recommendations

Canadian internet gambling billionaire Ayre, doesn't dare set foot in the USA.

Canadian Stallion Cat's At Home dead at 10

Centaur Inc buys Hoosier Park from Churchill Downs
H/T 4 Horse Racing Blog

Fair Grounds set handle record while giving out record purses


Trainer David Nunn only gets 60 days for using illegal drug and possessing syringe in a detention area at Aqueduct In Ontario, he would have got at least 6 months, but I think Kentucky Red is legal here....trainers with syringes are not.

Jack Moiseyev records 9000th win

Border passport laws still being lobbied against
I have an idea, make Ontario the 51st state, or at least US territory.

24 March 2007

Cutest Female Jockey Of All Time, Chantal Sutherland, To Return To Woodbine


After two years of riding against America's toughest jockey, Chantal Sutherland returns to Woodbine. I think she will do very well on the Polytrack. I'm thinking it will really suit her riding style. Last year, she posed for Vogue. Can't find the pics online though.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming CEO Resigns
Resigns, told to quit, fired.......same difference. The OLGC has been under fire over the fact that retailers have been hauling in a much higher percentage of big prizes than they should have over the years, and the OLGC until recently, was doing a lot of dancing, and when tired of dancing, rested like an ostrich. The former CEO will probably get a lot of dough to send him off in the sunset and to keep his mouth shut. Sometimes, big corporations suck.

X-treme Horsepower event scheduled at Georgian Downs on July 14th.

Horse racing could be on the way out in California All because tribes in California have exclusive rights to slots.

UN supporting Alberta tribe internet gambling initiative????

CTHS announces Improvement Program for 2007

Pennsylvania Slots Have Generated $17.5 Million For Purses In Only 3 Months

Racing may return to Sandown Park in BC

22 March 2007

Headlines For March 22nd: Hudon Gets Reinstated

Instant Racing Bill introduced in Ohio

Texas Holdem offered at PEI Racino It is about time Ontario offers the same. Might as well try to win back some of the patrons they have lost to internet poker sites.

Pat Hudon's fine and 10 year suspension for using potent form of EPO thrown out.
“The (ORC) administration’s case against Mr. Hudon was based solely on statements that Mr. Hudon had made to an Ontario Provincial Police detective who works with the racing commission branch,” explained the lawyer, who went on to say, “What the (ORC) panel found was that the statement was obtained by deceitful means and that the racing commission has to act with honesty, integrity and social responsibility, and anybody they delegate authority to has to act in that same manner…

“What they found was the detective did not act that way, and the statement was not obtained fairly, and as a result they ruled the statement was inadmissible.”


Magna Entertainment adds over 700 slot machines at Gulfstream

Magna going concern qualification

Baymount Announces New Meeting Date

Neteller working on freeing up US Funds seized

Queen Elizabeth 2nd is going to the Derby. After many Queen's Plate viewings, the Derby is going to be a first for her.

Indiana slots bill amended


Nova Scotia racino possibly in the works

Games of skill like Instant Racing in Arkansas might become more popular than live horse racing

New rules for pylons on Ontario harness tracks

20 March 2007

For Sale Sign Goes At Fort Erie Racetrack

I forgot to mention that I recently joined the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. Check my sidebar for some real good insight from various knowledgable bloggers. Of main interest to me is Jen Morrison's blog ThoroughBlog. She is a well known and well respected journalist, who mainly covers racing in Ontario.

For Sale Sign Goes Up At Fort Erie Racetrack Purses have been drastically dropping, so have race dates. Buffalo has a possible/probable casino coming soon and people will need passports to get over the border shortly. I guess everything has a price.

Great Canadian Gaming releases 2006 financials



Chartwell releases 1st quarter results

OHHA Appoints Review Committee

Neteller accused of not be forthcoming


Neteller coalition demands release of US Funds

A Day At The Races. The classic tout scene. Remember, this was way before the internet, but it was at a time when a lot more people could relate to horse racing too. What happened?:

18 March 2007

Horse Racing Testing Shocker:Another Drug Causes Appearance of Aminorex

The test results make it appear aminorex was in the horses system, but an OTC drug that has no aminorex in it, caused the faulty readings.
Here we have the ORC, who has the power to take away a trainer's livelihood based on drug tests. Yet the drug tests can't be trusted. The ORC is in a tough spot.
Aminorex positives are not from aminorex but from levamisole phosphate. This is a bad precedence. This means that possibly any drug positive could be wrong. At least to a layman like me. I wonder how this will be spun by the industry.

I think levamisole was being used as a worm paste. Anyway, here it what it is and what is known about it. It seems to work well on elephants.

SUCCEED® Digestive Conditioning Program® was speculated to contain Aminorex, but tests show that it does not.

Ontario Lottery Chairman Asked To Resign

Sports Betting Kiosks Introduced in Dutch Caribbean

Raymond James likes Canadian gaming industry

16 March 2007

March 16th Updates: Never Trust A Horse

With the Woodbine thoroughbred season quickly approaching, remember, you can never trust horses:


Critics Wants Ontario Lottery Corporation To Be Cleaned Up

Lotto 6/49 over-estimating jackpots
Hey, I thought that was illegal in Canada.


Using Canadian dollars and other non US currencies may be way to get around US internet laws Where there is a will there is a way. And the US should just legalize Internet gambling and allow operators out of Vegas to handle everything. This way money will stay within the US, and everyone will be happy, except for the Church groups and the offshore houses. Bettors would prefer to gamble with a Vegas internet hub then some Caribean house.

Sona Mobile signs deal with Daily Racing Form

3 more Torsemide positives. Trainers David Menary, Mary Paulic and Randy Zhok get fines and suspensions.

ORC Releases Financial Directives

9 March 2007

March 9th Updates: More About Aminorex Positives

Ben Wallace mystified over Aminorex positive. Thinks it might be tied in to the drug Tramisol that he used 36 hours out Also, the link explains why Bill Robinson's horses were scatched (I guess the atmosphere just wasn't hot enough for him yet):
'Yesterday, John Blakney, head of the Ontario Racing Commission said investigators found a vial containing a substance, some powder and five syringes that contained substances. They are currently trying to investigate what the substances are. Robinson, who was not with the horse van, has not yet been charged.'

Vets put their heads together to figure out Aminorex source Maybe some of these trainer were "cheating" with a different drug or drugs and were unaware that something included Aminorex.

ORC Bulletin regarding positive tests

MI Developments reassessing their tie to Magna Entertainment

Senacas Under Pressure Now. Subpoenaed In Casino Probe
Maybe this is why a couple of Seneca execs mysteriously jumped ship over a month ago.


Steve Wynn back to bid on New York tracks


Gambling has benefits for seniors: study

Cree in Alberta warned about setting up an illegal internet gambling hub

7 March 2007

March 7th Updates

Origin of where the Aminorex came from is questioned. I don't think all these trainers are using the drug knowingly. It must be in something they thought was safe.

Veteran Ben Wallace latest trainer to get a positive for Aminorex

Dave Perkins article in the Toronto Star about cheating and a drop in wagering.
He states handicapping is made tougher by cheats, but this has been a growing concern way before the current wave of suspensions. The drop in wagering mostly has to do with the waking up of the gambler.....the game is unfair because of ridiculously high take outs. Sorry to sound like a broken record. Lets face it, wagering on horse racing has been made so much easier with phone betting and computer betting, yet the numbers are dwindling instead of going up exponentially....illegal drugs aren't the problem, though they don't help.

Runaway Groom pensioned at 28
I was 21 when I was at home watching the 1982 Travers. By then I was already a major horse racing fan and bettor. For some reason I can't remember why I was home that day and not at Woodbine. This was probably the second biggest national pride moment I had in my life. The biggest was when Paul Henderson scored the goal that beat the Russians.


OK, here is the number one National Pride moment I had:

I was 11, and watched it in my Jr. High School's gymnasium with a bunch of other students. The game was so important, the school closed early that day to give everyone a chance to go home and watch it.

West Virginia OKs Table Games at Racetracks


Fun Technologies announces that it has over 30 million players worldwide

Youbet stock downgraded on news of Magna and Churchill deal

Why were Bill Robinson's horses scratched? I guess we will find out soon enough

5 March 2007

March 5th Update: And More Twilight Zone

I remembered another classic Twilight Zone. Back in 1964, when this one with Mickey Rooney playing a jockey was made, race fixing and horse doping were the biggest issues tainting the sport. Times haven't changed much:


Ontario based jockey Rui Pimentel charged with internet luring a girl under 14

Magna And Churchill Announce Customer Focused Agreements
1. Foster an open and competitive business environment where horse racing content is readily available to customers through a wide variety of distribution points and wagering platforms
2. Create an innovation-based environment of sustainable growth for the North American horse racing industry domestically and internationally;
3. Enhance wagering integrity and security to address horse racing signal piracy and ensure content creators are compensated; and
4. Benefit the horsemen and racetracks that together create racing content through new industry growth.
Magna Posts Large Loss for 2006

HOW SOME US CUSTOMERS ARE BYPASSING THE POKER BAN
Disclaimer: This is not an endorsment and it should not be seen as an endorsement by Cangamble.
In order to bypass the US poker ban you will first need to hide your ip address so that instead of showing up as an American citizen you will be now shown as a Canadian. This is important as the ban only affects American citizens and not Canadians, who can freely register on all the various poker sites.

Step 1: Go To Canada411.Ca
Find someone with a common last name in either Ontario or Quebec province.

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Pick one of these real addresses and phone numbers as your gaming account information.

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Step 5: Signup With Neteller, Click2pay, Epassporte Or Citadel
Sign up at the sites using your real name and the Canadian address that you came up with. The US Internet Gambling Enforcement Act makes it illegal for online gambling sites to accept electronic fund transfers, however, you are free to deposit money from your bank or credit card into a third party pay site in this case Neteller, Click2pay, Epassporte or Citadel.

HT: Midas Oracle.org


Call for nominations for 2007 Canadian Hall of Fame

Elderly owners of trotting mare Meconopsis interrogated by ORC

Neteller US Client Money May Never Go Back To The Players

2 March 2007

Headlines For March 2nd

Since Horse Racing is starting to become something out of the Twilight Zone when it comes to drug charges, here is a classic episode with a horse racing theme. Enjoy:)



Rick Zeron and 6 other trainers willing to take lie detector test to prove innocence. Claiming complete ignorance of where Aminorex comes from. Considering multi million dollar lawsuit. He also says ORC stopped the investigation and will just act on the positives.

Harness Racing losing credibility with the bettors in Ontario Willmot states that he has seen double digit drops in betting over the last 18 months. Cites drugs for the drop.
Sorry David, it is also the high take out. Bettors have woke up. They have no chance to win in today's climate.

OHHA and Georgian Downs reach agreement

Presque Isle Downs opens for slots
Horse racing expected to begin there later this year

How slots have saved horse racing....at least temporarily

Bill Finley writes that NYRA should do what Ontario does when it comes to dealing with casinos at racetracks

Magna Entertainment looking to expand via the internet

Tioga and Vernon announce purse increases thanks to slots