Under federal rules, Lone Star handle plunges $11 million
Handle at Lone Star Park has dropped 87.2 percent since the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority took hold on July 1.
The Texas Racing Commission has refused to recognize HISA's authority, which means Lone Star cannot export its signal to other racetrack and account wagering providers.
Lone Star handled $12,962,709 through six days of racing July 3-10, 2021, and only $1,654,449 through six days of racing in July 2022. The Grand Prairie, Texas, track went from generating 5.6 percent of U.S. handle in 2021 to only 0.6 percent of it in 2022. This means $1 of every $20 that was bet on all U.S. Thoroughbred racing in 2021 is now being wagered at a different track in 2022 now that Lone Star is unavailable.
The biggest drop has come in the multi-race exotics (e.g. pick N wagers). Last year horizontal exotics accounted for 15.7 percent of total handle, and it's only 5.1 percent this year.
| Lone Star Park handle in July year over year | ||||||
| Year | Days | Races | Avg. field | handle | market % | per runner |
| 2022 | 6 | 52 | 7.63 | $ 1,654,449 | 0.6% | $ 4,167 |
| 2021 | 6 | 62 | 7.42 | $12,962,709 | 5.6% | $28,180 |