TVG has announced it will begin offering commingled pari-mutuel wagering on, and live television coverage of, horse races from Happy Valley and Sha Tin racecourses in Hong Kong, which routinely attract large wagering pools.
Starting Saturday evening, April 5 (Pacific Time; Sunday morning, April 6, Eastern Time), TVG customers will be able to access commingled odds from the world's largest pari-mutuel wagering pools in addition to watching all of the races live on TVG's television network and online at TVG.com under a multi-year agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), according to a company release.
"We know that horse racing customers like large pools with large quality fields of horses to watch and wager on, and we are thrilled to deliver access to some of the best product available anywhere in the world to meet those desires," said John Hindman of TVG in a statement. "Our U.S. customers will have the wagering experience that has traditionally been available to them only two to three times a year in terms of pool sizes, now available to them every Hong Kong race day—more than 83 times a year."
The HKJC stages fixtures from early September to early July, with Happy Valley usually taking place on Wednesday evenings (Hong Kong time) and Sha Tin races usually on Sunday afternoons. For bettors in the U.S., the first post time is typically 7:15 a.m. ET (4:15 a.m. PT) on Wednesdays and 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. PT Saturday) for the Sunday card.
"It is an exciting day for us to bring Hong Kong's gold standard of racing and wagering excellence to the TVG network across the U.S.A.," said William Nader, executive director of racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. "This is not quite as big as putting a man on the moon, but it is one giant step for international racing and simulcasting."
The bet types that will be initially offered by TVG will include win, place, quinella and tierce, which account for 70% of total wagering in Hong Kong racing. Place betting in Hong Kong is the equivalent of show betting in America, according to TVG, and tierce betting is the Hong Kong version of the Trifecta.
Past performance information on individual horses as well as an official program, video replays of all races and barrier trials, veterinary history and morning track work records of all horses are free at www.hkjc.com in both English and Chinese languages.
TVG worked with its totalizator partner, Sportech Racing and Digital, to integrate technologies allowing the commingled odds capabilities. Sportech is the first totalizator provider in the U.S. to make the services available for Hong Kong Jockey Club races, according to TVG.
Sha Tin Racecourse
