Football season may be over, but football card collecting is only continuing to heat up. The scorching market is driven by multiple factors, including product delays and the introduction of college players into the mix. The supply chain issues that have affected a number of industries have also caused delays […]
Gambling Industry
Champions League Final Moved to Paris, Russian and Ukrainian Teams to Host ‘Home’ Matches at Neutral Venues
This year’s Champions League final will take place in Paris instead of Saint Petersburg following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. UEFA confirmed that the Saint Denis stadium will host the last act of UEFA’s supreme club competition on Saturday 28 May at 21:00 CET. The UEFA Executive Committee was […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
Canada, Great Britain Lead Stacked Winter Olympics Men’s Curling Field
Four years ago in PyeongChang, John Shuster stunned the world by leading Team USA to its first ever gold medal in men’s curling. Now, Shuster’s team faces a tougher task in Beijing: attempting to defend its Olympic title against an event stronger field. Ten teams will begin playing in the […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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’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 […]