New Jersey bettors and horse racing fans will have another piece of handicapping to consider this summer.
Monmouth Park in Oceanport and Australia-based BetMakers announced Saturday that both entities again will partner as sponsors for the $1 million “BetMakers Bonanza” bonus for the connections of any horse that sweeps a series of three designated Grace 1 races.
The three races will consist of the 55th edition of the Haskell Stakes (Monmouth Park) on July 23, the Travers Stakes (Saratoga/New York) on August 27 and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Keeneland/Kentucky) on Nov. 5.
This will be the third consecutive year that Monmouth Park and BetMakers have offered the bonus. Authentic won the $1 million for winning all three races in 2021: Haskell, Kentucky Derby (which was held on Sept. 5 due to COVID-19 rescheduling) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, en route to winning Horse of the Year honors.
“It’s great to continue to support creative initiatives from Monmouth Park as Monmouth Park continues to innovate in the racing space,” said Dallas Baker, the head of International Operations for BetMakers, in a news release.
Fixed Odds a First in U.S.
“It’s been a big year for the Monmouth Park-BetMakers partnership with the massive new infield board that has proven to be quite popular, Fixed Odds betting up and running, and new betting terminals being rolled out. Hopefully, we can see the bonus handed out again, just like when Authentic earned it in 2021,” said Baker.
BetMakers launched fixed odds wagering (where bettors get the odds of the horse at the time of their individual bet being made) at Monmouth Park on Sunday, May 8 and is the only racetrack in the United States to offer such wagering.
Fixed odds are offered on all live Monmouth Park races on win, place and show bets, with a minimum wager of $1.
“BetMakers has been a great partner for Monmouth Park, and we’re pleased to be able to offer the BetMakers Bonanza bonus for a third straight year,” said Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development, LLC, the operators of Monmouth Park.
Monmouth Park’s live meet ends on Sunday, Sept. 18 and then thoroughbred racing will move up the Garden State Parkway to The Meadowlands in East Rutherford for nine all-turf cards starting from Sept. 23 through Oct. 22.
Good News, Bad News in May Numbers
The month of May brought in increased revenue, even though handle dropped significantly in New Jersey gambling.
That became clear when the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) released the monthly report.
Total sports betting handle for the month (mobile, retail combined) posted at more than $766.41 million. That was down by 17.3% from April ($926.95 million) and also down 5.9% from May 2021 ($814.27 million).
The mobile sports betting handle in the Garden State came in at more than $708.36 million, which was down 17.9% from April ($863.1 million) and down 3.6% from last May 2021 ($734.65 million).
However, revenue jumped to $61.59 million in May after being at $50.35 million in April. That marked a month-over-month increase of 22.3%.
