Mobile Gambling on Horses Coming to New York Racing Association

The New York Racing Association is taking gambling to the next level. The NYRA has made an agreement with mWager to provide mobile betting options for people in the state via their cell phone, if it is approved by the state Racing and Wagering Board.

John Ryan, senior VP at NYRA said, "This will allow NYRA to offer our customers the ultimate in wagering privacy."

Users would need to register with the NYRA's Internet-based wagering system then download the software from Sona Moblie, a Manhattan company that provides service for the NYRA's internet wagering software. Cell phones must be equipped with Windows Mobile to access this service.

Sona Mobile has partnered with Motorola and the Daily Racing Form to provide a complete experience for the horse racing fan."The Horse-racing enthusiast wants to be able to look at everything," Shawn Kreloff said. Kreloff is the chief executive of Sona Mobile. He added that in the future, fans will be able to watch the races on their phones.

The current plan is for the service to include access to information on the horse, owner, and trainer, as well as odds scratches and race results. All forms of wagers will be allowed, win, place, show, and exotics and it will allow the gambler to place wagers without going to an OTB site, calling a betting line, or going to a terminal to bet.

Some level of protections will be included, such as passwords and PIN number to prevent fraudulent use and ensure the authenticity of the person making the bet. No mention of verification of age, or determents for problem gamblers was indicated.

The measure is expected to go before the Racing and Wagering Board within the next two months. Previously the board has allowed for gambling via the Internet, by Phone, at OTB parlors, at the track or a self-activated machine on State-sanctioned gambling.

Joel Rose, chairman of The Coalition Against Gambling in New York said of the proposed expansion, "We shouldn't be making it any easier for people to make bets," adding that for those with a gambling addiction, enabling betting by cell phone would be 'like putting a bar on every corner' for alcoholics.

October 19, 2007
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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