Wagering Down Slightly in January

After posting a rare gain in December, wagering on North American racing took a small step backward in January, with total handle from all sources down 1.1% from January 2011.

According to the latest economic indicators from Equibase, $818,695,886 was wagered last month, compared with $827,788,242 in January 2011.

Equibase reported purses totaled $65,827,045, up 2.75% from January 2011, while the total number of race days of 330 represented a 4.55% decline.