Betting report: Derby sparks September wagering boost

Boosted by the Kentucky Derby being moved, wagering on thoroughbred racing was up nearly 30 percent in September 2020 vs September 2019, according to an Equibase report Monday.

Total wagering was more than $1 billion for the month, up from about $800 million in 2019, despite a drop in total race days in September from 412 in 2019 to 365 in 2020.

Other September numbers that grew from last year included average field size, which jumped 4 percent from 7.58 to 7.88, and average wagering per race day, which improved by 46 percent from over $1.9 million to over $2.8 million.

For the year the numbers are not as good with wagering on U.S. races down by 2.86 percent, year to date, from 2019. Purses fell nearly 30 percent and average purses per race days were down 1.4 percent.

One number that maintained a positive trajectory for the year was average wagering per race day, which took a 36 percent jump from $2.4 million in 2019 to $3.3 million. That change might have been impacted by the fact that race days have dropped, year to date, by 29 percent, from 3,515 in 2019 to 2,509 in 2020.

Another factor that might have impacted the jump in average was the fact that gamblers had very few options with other sports being canceled or delayed for much of the year.

Race days have been called off for a number of reasons, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, but wildfires and accompanying air-quality problems led to days being canceled on the west coast, delaying the start of Santa Anita’s fall meet and wiping out weekends at Golden Gate Fields.

Equibase has released racing financial indicators on a monthly basis during the pandemic. Normally the numbers are released quarterly.