Total, Average & In-State Handles Increase at Laurel’s Winter-Spring Meet
Total, Average & In-State Handles Increase at Laurel’s Winter-Spring Meet
Average Handle Up 34.5 Percent; In-State Wagering Up 25 Percent
LAUREL, MD – The Maryland Jockey Club announced today that Laurel Park’s recently-concluded winter-spring meet registered increases in total and average handle, as well as export and in-state wagering on Laurel’s live product.
Average daily handle at Laurel was $2.372 million, up 34.5 percent from $1.764 million in 2015. Total handle on Laurel’s meet was $151.1 million, up nine percent from $140 million in 2015, while in-state wagering on Laurel was up 25 percent from $37.4 million to $46.7 million. Exports were up 12 percent.
“We continue to see growth in the Maryland Thoroughbred industry both locally and nationally,” said Sal Sinatra, President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. “The sport is clearly undergoing a resurgence, and racing is being revitalized with better quality racing, more participation from horsemen around the country, and our growing off-track betting network have helped. We’ve never had such a wonderful working relationship between horsemen, the commission, legislators and our fans. We are looking forward to continued growth this summer and excited about the start of our Pimlico Race Course meet Thursday afternoon.”
