Premier Turf Club has added Keeneland content to its list of track offerings, building on a business model that has allowed the North Dakota-based advance deposit wagering entity to realize four-fold growth in handle in the last few months.
The Keeneland signal, which will begin with the start of the spring meet April 4, brings the total number of tracks Premier Turf Club offers to 101, including 38 Thoroughbred tracks. Premier Turf Club, which offers cash rewards to customers utilizing its Internet and call-center wagering platforms, has been fully operational for less than a year.
“This is a milestone for us, and it’s only the beginning,” said Premier Turf Club senior partner Joe Riddell, who is also a Lexington-based liaison for horsemen’s relations. “We have been able to grow a company despite missing many premium signals, and that speaks volumes about what we are trying to accomplish.”
"They met our criteria of having a regulatory body, which we are insistent upon, and also going through the (Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau) due diligence, which looks to us like they passed with flying colors," said Keeneland president Nick Nicholson. "We hope they have a very successful spring meet."
A year ago, when Premier Turf Club only had its telephone wagering call-center operational, the ADW had just 15 tracks. While officials declined to detail specific customer and handle data, they said the company had seen 400% growth in handle over the last few months alone.
“The theory that I am operating under is that Premier Turf Club players contribute into (wagering) pools that they are comfortable with – the certainty that the pricing is in the pools,” Riddell said. “And that the maximum amount gets back to the bricks and mortar – the racetracks – and the horsemen.”
Premier Turf Club continues to pursue other key signals such as those with affiliated with the New York Racing Association and TrackNet Media Group, which includes the tracks of Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp. The Keeneland signal was facilitated through a sub-licensing agreement with TVG.
“This is the year that we hope to fill in major content we don’t have,” Premier Turf Club chief executive officer Ian Meyers said.
Premier Turf Club promotes itself as an ADW offering an exclusive combination of wagering platforms on its Internet site. Included are conditional wagering, which allows a bettor to place advance wagers on horses at selected odds limits, and odds dutching, which prorates wagers for multiple horses in a race to produce the same winning outlay and thereby spread out the risk of losing.
