Gambling Industry

Colonial Downs joins a crowded Churchill Downs Inc. racetrack roster after the gaming giant bought Colonial Downs' parent company for nearly $2.5 billion. (Image: Coady Photography)

Churchill Downs Buys Colonial Downs, Gets Casinos in the Bargain

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) announced Tuesday it plans to buy the parent company of Colonial Downs, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E), for $2.485 billion. CDI will fund the deal through a combination of new debt and cash on hand. It is expected to close by the end of 2022. Some of […]

Tuesday morning, Churchill Downs' workers literally take down the sign marking Medina Spirit's 2021 Kentucky Derby victory. (Image: Coady Photography)

Mandaloun Illustrates New Sign of the Times at Churchill Downs:

Churchill Downs officials wasted little time putting cosmetic touches on what they hope is a concrete decision. On Tuesday, the track’s staff replaced Medina Spirit’s nameplate with the now-official 2021 Kentucky Derby champion: Mandaloun. The 3-year-old Kentucky Derby king is dead — literally in the late Medina Spirit’s case, and […]

Medina Spirit's half-length victory over Mandaloun in last year's Kentucky Derby was overturned Monday. Mandaloun was declared the official winner after Medina Spirit was disqualified for a drug violation. (Image: Coady Photography)

Stewards Strip Medina Spirit of 2021 Kentucky Derby Title

After nine months, numerous fits and starts and several legal challenges, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards disqualified Medina Spirit as winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The Monday decision came as a result of Medina Spirit failing a drug test for the banned-on-race day, anti-inflammatory betamethasone. Along with the ruling, […]

Crown Resorts   (Image: William West/Getty)

Casino Roundup: Crown Buyout, Wynn Leaseback and Sands Junk Rating

Crown Resorts accepted a $6.4 billion buyout bid from Blackstone, a private equity firm. Just days after the news, the Australian casino company reported a $141 billion loss for the last six months of 2021. In other casino news, a credit agency cut Las Vegas Sands’ debt rating, while Wynn […]

DAZN is one of the main players on the international broadcasting rights' markets. (Image: sportspromedia.com)

Billionaire Blavatnik’s Firm Injects $4.3 Billion into Sports Media Group DAZN

DAZN Group announced a $4.3 billion capital injection by billionaire investor Len Blavatnik’s firm. The British sports media company aims to expand into recreational betting, gaming and non-fungible tokens. The investment comes after Spain’s LaLiga sold its domestic broadcasting rights to Movistar and DAZN for $5.62 billion over five years. […]

Ashford Stud, the home of Triple Crown-winning stallions American Pharoah and Justify, was one of three breeding farms challenging The Jockey Club's breeding limits. The Jockey Club rescinded the rule. (Image: Ashford Stud)

The Jockey Club Blinks on Controversial Breeding Rule, Rescinds Limit

Running into a stiffening headwind of opposition, The Jockey Club rescinded its controversial rule limiting the number of mares bred per stallion Thursday. The rule limiting stallions born in 2020 or later to a maximum of 140 mares in a calendar year was adopted in May 2020. The Jockey Club […]

This ultra rare Wander Franco card was pulled out of a box of 2022 Topps at an Alabama card store on Wednesday. (Image: Rob Slater)

Collectors Chase 2022 Topps in Search of Wander Franco Rookie Cards

Despite the continued lockout that has delayed the start of spring training and could very well stretch into the regular season, baseball card collectors still eagerly ripped open the new 2022 Topps Series 1 products on Wednesday. Release date brought with it WanderMania, as collectors tried to pull rookie cards […]

text (Image: Matt Rourke/AP)

Super Bowl Ratings Rebound Amid Record Sports Betting

Super Bowl 56’s ratings rebounded, up 16.5% over last year. Nielson reported 112.3 million watched the big game on NBC’s television and streaming platforms. Meanwhile, both Nevada and New Jersey reported record sports betting totals for the event. The Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati […]

White Abarrio went from closing at 171/1 in the second Kentucky Derby Future Wager to opening at 8/1 in the third pool. That came as a result of this 4 1/2-length victory in last weekend's Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. (Image: Coglianese Photo)

White Abarrio Goes from Long Shot to KDFW Individual Co-Favorite

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) opens Friday at noon ET with the familiar “All Other 3-Year-Olds” – a.k.a. “the field” – as the 5/2 morning-line favorite. But it opened with a new co-individual favorite sharing that status with a familiar favorite. That newcomer […]

Tribhuvan captured last year's Grade 1 United Nations as the 17/10 favorite. That turf test is one of two Grade 1s and 10 graded stakes on Monmouth Park's 2022 stakes schedule. (Image: Nikki Sherman/EQUI-PHOTO)

Monmouth Park’s Stakes Slate Comes With Fixed Odds, Boosted Purses

Monmouth Park unveiled its 2022 stakes schedule Tuesday, headlined as always, by the $1.1 million Grade 1 Haskell Stakes. That marquee event for 3-year-olds coming out of the Triple Crown season is Saturday, July 23. The New Jersey track opens Saturday, May 7, the same day as the Kentucky Derby. […]

Mason Greenwood has been arrested on Sunday, after sensitive images and recordings were made public by his girlfriend on social media. (Image: Twitter/purelyfootball)

Man. United Star Mason Greenwood in Custody on Suspicion of Rape and Assault

Police have been granted additional time to question Manchester United’s attacker Mason Greenwood, who was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of rape and assault. The 20-year-old remains detained following a social media post from his girlfriend denouncing him. Greater Manchester police confirmed he will be questioned further. “Detectives have been […]

You can find good deals on sports cards on the Whatnot app, as long as you don't go too crazy with the bidding. (Image: Screenshot)

Tips for Buying Sports Cards on Whatnot

If you haven’t experienced the Whatnot app yet, let it best be described as collectible sales on steroids. The platform allows sellers to stream and host rapid-fire auctions (usually around 30 seconds each) in a number of categories such as video games, action figures, Funko Pops, and of course, sports […]

The Iowa Cubs recently bought (Image: Mary Willie/The Register)

MiLB News: Robots, Lawsuits, Payouts, and Groundbreaking Manager

As MLB’s lockout continues, MiLB is providing fans with more than enough baseball news. The good news from MiLB includes a surprise $600,000 payout and its first woman manager. The less-than-good news features its ongoing conflicts with MLB, including an antitrust lawsuit. And let’s not forget, robot umpires. MLB owners […]

Richard Duchossois was a decorated World War II vet and an accomplished businessman who remade Arlington Park into one of the country's most beautiful racetracks. He died Friday at 100. (Image: Matthew Bowie)

Horse Racing Icon, Businessman Richard Duchossois Dies at 100

Richard Duchossois, who went from decorated World War II hero to horse racing hero to millions of racing fans through his ownership of Arlington Park, died at his suburban Chicago home on Friday. He was 100. The businessman and philanthropist died four months after Arlington Park ran its last race. […]

Essential Quality (4) nipped Highly Motivated in last year's Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes. That race was one of three upgraded to Grade 1 status for 2022. (Image: Keeneland/Coady Photography)

Graded Stakes Race Shuffling Deals Winning, Losing Hands to Races

One of the key factors in horseplaying from a class standpoint — the grading of stakes races – underwent its yearly review when the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association unveiled its annual listing of US Graded and Listed Stakes races. The new grades encompass […]

Overall, Wynn's Q4 earnings were down XX%, but Strip casinos (Image: John Locher/AP)

Wynn to Dump Sports Betting in Favor of Middle East Expansion

In a surprising turnaround, Wynn Resorts decided to sell its fledgling sports betting business, WynnBet. Instead, the casino company will work to introduce its core business to the Middle East. On Tuesday, Wynn signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to build a resort with a gaming area. […]

Medina Spirit takes it all in Derby week last April. The late Derby champion will get a steward's hearing with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission regarding his Derby win Feb. 7. (Image: Pat McDonogh/Courier-Journal)

Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby Hearing Scheduled for Feb. 7

During his testimony in the ongoing hearing regarding his eligibility to run at New York Racing Association tracks, trainer Bob Baffert confirmed Thursday that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has scheduled a Feb. 7 hearing involving Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. Baffert testified for three hours during the fourth day […]