Advance deposit wagering provider Xpressbet has reached an agreement with the French Pari Mutuel Urbain to offer its customers wagering access to French racetracks, making it one of the first North American wagering outlets to do so.
Effective immediately, Xpressbet customers are able to place wagers that directly commingle into the traditionally large French pools, the company announced in a press release Aug. 28.
Xpressbet customers are able to wager on traditional bet types—win, place, exacta, quinella and trifecta—and will also have the ability to play France's popular OMNI wager. The OMNI challenges bettors to pick two of the first three finishers of a race in any order. Customers have access to free video and free past performances for all French racetracks, and are able to take advantage of the low win and place takeout on those tracks, which is just 13.7%.
"French racing is a great addition to Xpressbet's wagering menu, and we think our customers will appreciate that product," said Ron Luniewski, Xpressbet president. "French tracks feature huge pools, large fields and competitive, high-quality racing. It's important to us that we continue to deliver our customers the opportunity to wager on races that they want to play."
Xpressbet customers will have wagering access to all of the premier racetracks in France, including Longchamp, Deauville, Chantilly, and Saint-Cloud. There are 27 group I races contested in France annually, with their calendar culminating in the €4,000,000 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I). The Arc is held each October at Paris' Longchamp racecourse and attracts many of Europe's premier racehorses.