Gulfstream Scraps Quinella After Nov. 11 Irregularity

1/ST Racing and Gaming announced Nov. 15 an irregularity of the betting pools for the quinella on the first race Nov. 11 at Gulfstream Park.

A $2 quinella for that race returned $42.40, far above the typical return for a seven-horse race in which a favorite and second favorite run 1-2. Glass Star won the race at odds of just over even money, with 4-1 Too Much Vino  second. 

A quinella pays off to bettors who select the first and second finishers, irrespective of finish position, and payoffs of quinellas are typically smaller than exactas, which requires a bettor to have selected their runners in their precise order of finish. The $2 exacta on the race paid $18.60.

Handle on the quinella was $24,280, according to Equibase figures. 

The account from which this wager was played has been identified, and that account has been closed. 1/ST Racing and Gaming indicated their staff is working with the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and other agencies to investigate the full impact of the manipulation of the pools, which appear to involve offshore betting sites. 

"Integrity and safety are the two cornerstones of 1/ST's foundation, and we are continuing to thoroughly review all actions associated with this incident," Aidan Butler, CEO of 1/ST Racing and Gaming, said in the release. "Ensuring the protection of our stakeholders, including the important constituency who wager on our races, is of paramount importance."

"TRPB's Wagering Integrity Unit is assisting the investigation into the betting," Curtis Linnell, executive vice president of the TRBP, said. "There is no indication at this time of malfeasance by any participants in the race itself."   

Pari-mutuel pools are, by their very nature, self-correcting, as parties effectively wager against each other, with the racing association taking the identical commission percentage on the bets regardless of the odds. The odds are transparent, as they are determined by the amount of money bet on an individual interest or, in the case of exotic wagers, on the combination.

The quinella is a marginal bet, generating much smaller pools than straight bets and other exotic wagers, and can be easier to manipulate. Most horseplayers traditionally place an exacta box bet instead of a quinella—picking the first two finishers in either order.

Gulfstream Park has removed the quinella from the betting menu, effective immediately.

In a separate release, Thoroughbred Idea Foundation executive director Pat Cummings praised 1/ST Racing and Gaming for its swift action while noting the importance of the industry's addressing pool manipulation. He noted that the New York Racing Association and Del Mar continue to offer quinellas with smaller pools relative to other exotic bets offered by those track operators. 

"This incident has highlighted a few clear needs," Cummings said. "Obviously, betting menus need to be updated and wagering technology needs a wholesale modernization. But besides all of that, customers must both be protected and feel protected, and it seems the industry is falling short of that at present."