"MEC is very pleased that HorsePlayer has stepped up and taken the lead role in an effort to thwart the continued recruitment of our customers by offshore bookmakers," Ron Charles, executive director of MEC California Operations, said in the release. "While offshore bookmakers contribute nothing to our industry, they reap exorbitant profits from our efforts and the money we expend on facilities, employees, purses, and signals. We sincerely hope the rest of the industry will follow the HorsePlayer's lead."
Edited press releaseThe HorsePlayer magazine, a handicapping periodical launched in 1994 and published six times a year, said March 29 it would no longer accept advertisements from offshore wagering hubs for its magazine or Web site. The decision is effective immediately.The company, in a release, said it made the move on behalf of the horse racing industry despite the fact offshore wagering hubs provided a sizeable share of the company's annual advertising revenue.The Blood-Horse has had a long-standing policy of not accepting such ads. Daily Racing Form, which publishes ads from offshore companies, said recently it's reviewing the policy.Jeff Sotman, general manager of HorsePlayer, sought the help of the industry's leading racetrack owners to help offset the loss, according to the release. In response, Magna Entertainment Corp. was instrumental by stepping up to the plate with an increased advertising presence in the publication."We wanted to do what's right for the racetracks of America, and take a firm stance to keep U.S. wagering dollars closer to home," said Tom Quigley, owner and publisher of HorsePlayer. "We appreciate the fact Magna Entertainment, as well as all of our other great sponsors throughout the years and on through the next decade, understand the importance of horseplayers having a voice."
