Track’s wagering site selling loyalty online

HOT SPRINGS - Account wagering has been available to Arkansans for roughly a decade.

Now, Oaklawn Park is betting some of those Arkansans will spend their money at home after the track unveiled its new advance deposit wagering site, oaklawnanywhere. com, Dec. 27.

ADW is a form of wagering in which a player must fund an account before being allowed to place a bet. Countless Arkansans already hold accounts with mainstream national ADW Internet betting platforms like Xpressbet and Twin-Spires.

But Bobby Geiger, Oaklawn’s director of gaming and wagering, said OaklawnAnywhere was created with the intent of becoming “Arkansas’ ADW” and benefit racingat Oaklawn by recapturing millions of dollars in lost handle because wagers are being made through other sites.

“For the past 10 to 15 years, we have not been allowed to enter that arena, but it didn’t slow down foreign ADWs from aggressively entering the state and signing up account holders,” Geiger said.

Oaklawn was unable to secure legislation approximately a decade ago that would have allowed wagers by telephone or via the Internet, and Geiger said the track wasn’t comfortable pursuing ADW wagering until it received specific government approval.

“Some people did; we didn’t,” Geiger said. “The industry sort of referred to Arkansas as a ‘gray-law state.’ There was nothing on the books that precluded ADW wagering, nor was there anything on the books that allowed it.”

Specific language regarding ADW wagering in Arkansas, as part of Act 350, was finally approved during the 2013 legislative session and allowed Oaklawn to launch an ADW betting platform similar to Xpressbet or TwinSpires.

OaklawnAnywhere is only available to Arkansas residents, but wagers can be made from out of state. Theminimum age to open an account is 18. Limiting account holders to Arkansas residents is a contractual restriction, Geiger said.

Oaklawn has partnered with Churchill Downs Inc. and local horsemen on its ADW site. OaklawnAnywhere mirrors TwinSpires, another CDI venture. Perks include access to video replays, free past performances if a wager is made, player rewards points and a sign-up bonus.

Another CDI spinoff, Keeneland Select, was launched in 2011 by Keeneland, a picturesque track in Lexington, Ky. Keeneland Select is available to residents in 31 states, including Arkansas.

Oaklawn Anywhere replaces MyOaklawn, which previously allowed fans to bet on races through laptops, smart phones and tablets, etc., but only on Oaklawn grounds.

Geiger said Oaklawn began active pursuing true account wagering again after watching approximately $30 million in offseason simulcast handle “disappear” from the building in the last decade, money that would have been taxed by the state and benefited purses at Oaklawn.

“We know where it went,” Geiger said. “It went to ADWs.”

As an example, Geiger said a Little Rock resident some 10 years ago would have to drive to Hot Springs to wager on a horse running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., during offseason simulcasting (races shown from other tracks at Oaklawn). But those trips became pointless after Arkansans began joining AWD sites like TwinSpires and simply wagered from home through a computer, smart phone or tablet.

“You’ll pick convenience first,” Geiger said. “I understand that.”

When that happened, Geiger said, money wagered through “foreign” ADWs left Arkansas and nothing went toward purses at Oaklawn or to the state in taxes.

Geiger said the hope is Arkansans will now do their horse shopping at home, through OaklawnAnywhere, instead of a national site.

“It’s the same platform,” Geiger said, “You’re not going to go backwards if you switch from your current ADW provider to OaklawnAnywhere. But if you do change, the state will benefit directly by recapturing lost tax dollars and Oaklawn horsemen will benefit by recapturing lost purse funds. By offering a platform competitive with the national players, we hope that Arkansas racing fans will choose to keep their business in-state. That’s an attractive incentive to change.”

Geiger and Oaklawn General Manager Eric Jackson said they are unsure of how OaklawnAnywhere will be received, but both said they believe the impact on purses will be “modest” because of how late Oaklawn entered the game.

“We know that there’s a lot of ADW services doing business in Arkansas,” Jackson said. “We have spotted them a 10-year head start. Can we get some of that business back? For the first time, Arkansas will get some tax money and a larger share goes to purses.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 01/10/2014

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