Contractual disagreement sees NYRA content removed from TwinSpires
Pari-mutuel betting and live video from the Saratoga Race Course halted as negotiations continue between the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has been accused of being “reckless” and “unreasonable” following a dispute which saw its content removed from Churchill Downs’ online wagering platforms.
Until a resolution is found, all pari-mutuel wagering, live video, and race replays from the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will be unavailable to TwinSpires users as well as racetracks and sportsbooks owned by CDI.
In a statement, NYRA said it was “seeking financial terms from TwinSpires similar to those currently in place with all national advance deposit wagering platforms offering NYRA content.”
The non-profit organization added that negotiations will continue between the two camps as it hopes to “increase funds flowing to the sport and its stakeholders in New York.”
But in response, Churchill Downs accused NYRA of being “reckless” and said the updated terms were “unreasonable.”
Bill Carstanjen, CDI CEO, said in a statement: “Following NYRA’s disturbing recent pattern of demanding significant new economics from ADWs for no additional value in return, NYRA has elected to terminate TwinSpires’ access to its Saratoga signal today [July 31].
“While we hope to resolve this dispute quickly and amicably, make no mistake that we will continue to advocate for and invest in our customers and this industry.
“NYRA’s reckless pattern reflects an increasingly misguided understanding of how to best serve the racing industry in New York. Their actions are bad for horse racing and negatively impact our fans.”
NYRA found themselves in a similar situation last month when a dispute with TVG/FanDuel saw its content removed from the wagering platform.
The two organizations agreed a new deal a week later, in which content returned to the Flutter-owned horse racing wagering platform.