Edited press release
The Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hipodromo de Agua Caliente that allows the TRPB to request from Caliente Group--and for Caliente Group to voluntarily provide to the TRPB--information on betting activity on North American Thoroughbred races valuable toward preserving the integrity of the sport.
Under the memorandum, TRPB may also request and be provided, under appropriate circumstances, identification information pertaining to any horseracing participant or other individuals TRPB has reasonable grounds to suspect may pose a threat to the integrity of a horseracing event.
The TRPB, incorporated in 1946 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, operates as a national investigative agency in the horseracing industry. Its mandate is to expose and investigate all activity prejudicial to horse racing and to maintain public confidence in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Since 1996, TRPB has provided investigative and integrity-related services to the Standardbred industry through its internal subdivision, Standardbred Investigative Services.
Hipodromo de Agua Caliente is a Mexican corporation and leader in the Latin American entertainment and gaming industry since 1916. Its roots are in the Agua Caliente Race Track, immortalized in the famous movie Seabiscuit. Caliente Group operates more than 180 race and sports books at which customers can wager on races held at premier Thoroughbred and Greyhound tracks throughout the world, as well as other major international sporting events.
Leveraging an extensive technological and human infrastructure, Caliente provides its services within Antigua, Aruba, Brazil, Curacao, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama Paraguay, Peru, St. Maarten, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Caliente also operates facilities within Austria.
“We have always been concerned about the integrity of any region or sporting event, especially regarding our customer’s trustworthiness when placing a wager,” said Victor de la Fuente, corporate director of wagering for Caliente Group.
Said TRPB president Frank Fabian: “Caliente’s dominance in legalized bookmaking throughout Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean on North American racing products makes it a logical and very important investigative resource to TRPB. Expanding the distribution of our racing signal internationally creates both opportunity and vulnerability.”