Horse Racing Betting Market Author Ziemba Dies at 80

Horse racing and betting markets author William "Bill" Ziemba died June 22 at his home in Vancouver, B.C. He was 80.

Born in a small town in western Massachusetts, Ziemba became a world-renowned scholar of quantitative finance, risk control, and management science. Known as “Dr. Z," Bill developed scenarios, models and studied anomalies across any market he could think of—from Jai alai, sports betting, currencies, equities, and horse racing.

Ziemba wrote over 40 on topics ranging from financial markets, sports betting, anomalies, lotteries, and even Turkish flat weaves. With co-author Donald Hausch, Ziemba wrote Beat The Racetrack, in which they explored the fundamentals of track racing and show how patterns of public inefficiency in betting pools. Published in 1984, the book examined the pari-mutuel wagering market more so than the complicated details of Thoroughbred handicapping. His books on racetrack betting were inspiring to many, and he even designed calculators that would help bettors use his system.

His love of horse racing was sparked at an early age at Saratoga Race Course. More recently, he achieved his dreams of owning race horses and spent more time in Saratoga Springs, N.Y, and in Lexington, home of some of his favorite horse farms.

He is survived by his wife, Sandra Schwartz, and daughter, Rachel Ziemba.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of support can be made to one's favorite democracy-empowering or community-building organization.