Cliff Williams, Contributor

Over the last decade in the United States, interest in wagering on horse racing through simulcast has increased exponentially and has certainly come to the financial rescue of many track operators and Off Track Betting (OTB) agencies.

Use of state-of-the-art tech-nology has added a new dimension to the daily operation of these entities in terms of opening hours for business leading to increased cash flow.

In this time zone, racing beamed by satellite from the British Isles and South Africa is available before noon. Then throughout the afternoon and into the evening there are different tracks across the States conducting race meetings.

On the eastern side, post time is generally at around noon for daytime meetings and there are a couple of tracks operating under lights with post times of 7.00 p.m. Out in the west, mainly in California and Phoenix, the first post time is around 3.30 p.m.

Incidentally racing from Australia is beamed from 8.00 p.m. with a final post time of around 11.00 p.m.

Longer hours

What this means is that the daily opening hours of the OTB operators are not just restricted to few hours in the afternoons, but for as many as 15 each day of business.

Here in Jamaica, Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) has taken full advantage of the availability of these simulcasts to keep the company viable.

The business is now a six-day weekly operation making full use of the machinery and enjoying significant improvement in its cash flow.

In terms of attractiveness, for those who wager in the United States the existence of the means to facilitate betting into a nationwide pool with much better dividends being returned is a key factor driving interest.

In addition to this, the operation time of business has proven to be very convenient for those whose hours of work is determined by a shift system.

There is also the option at many tracks to pay for the exclusive use of a monitor and switch to different signals of choice.

Perceived threat

Last year, a local entity had applied for licence to offer wagering into the nationwide pool in the United States, but this was greeted with a vehement howl of protest from the Caymanas operators, investors and professionals.

This was deemed to be a huge threat to the local industry in general and the breeding operations in particular.

I suppose the question is whether the threat is real or imagined.

In any event, participation in this type of operation would be the exclusive domain of those who can fund substantial entertainment budgets.

As an entertainment spectacle horse racing remain amongst the best on the globe, and if promoted properly will always be a first choice for millions who enjoy participating in games of chance and consequently can be a viable business venture.