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NTRA Examines Wagering Process

UNITED STATES – As reported by Bloodhorse.com: "There's more than meets the eye as the pari-mutuel industry examines the relationship between handle and purses, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association is working behind the scenes to investigate the legal ramifications.

"The NTRA recently formed a Wagering Systems Task Force that is looking for reasons why handle was up a tick but purses were down a bit in 2003.

"…The NTRA, however, has hired consultants and lawyers to examine equally important issues such as intellectual property and anti-trust risks.

"'We're going to do a top-grade analysis of what's happening,' Greg Avioli, deputy commissioner of the NTRA, said during an April 3 panel discussion at the Joint Conference of Racing Regulators in New Orleans. 'The issue of leakage is the most serious (in the industry). It threatens the underlying economics of the entire industry and, if not addressed, threatens the ability to pay for live racing.'

"Avioli said at this time, it appears the industry may not have a legal claim to keep non-licensed entities from using the product -- live video of horse races. He also said the potential for taking collective action is there, but so are anti-trust risks…"

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