Kentucky Derby betting Back to pre-pandemic levels, record online betting

Date posted: May 2, 2021, 01:28 a.m.

Last Updated: May 2, 2021, 05:34 h.

These were not records, but Churchill Downs Inc. announced a solid approach to betting 14 - Saturday's race card, awarded by the Kentucky Derby. According to a Louisville-based press release, bettors wagered $ 233 million.

It's the second largest Division of the Derby, leaving only $ 250.9 million wagered two years ago. As for the race itself, 155.4 million was wagered on the Derby, down from a record of 165.5 million wagered two years ago.

These figures cover all sources, including bets placed on other tracks and via online platforms such as Churchill Downs' TwinSpires. Track betting data has not been disclosed. However, it is likely to drop significantly from the 2019 $

. 3 million due to reduced crowds, COVID - 28 restrictions.

Churchill Downs reported crowd 51,838 on Saturday. While this is the largest audience to watch a sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it is roughly a third of the 150, 729 who raced two years ago.

Today it was extremely satisfying to welcome our fans back to Churchill Downs for the 147th lead of the Kentucky Derby, ”Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement.

Medina Spirit won the race on Saturday, giving coach Bob Baffert a record seventh race victory and jockey John Velazquez his fourth.

The Kentucky Derby is traditionally the most staked event in the U.S. horse racing event annually, a sport that generates approximately 11 billion total handles

A pandemic last year delayed the race to Labor Day weekend and stopped Churchill Downs hello fans. Bets on racing that day dropped to $ 126 million.

Record in online derby betting

One sector where Churchill Downs noted that record numbers were, unsurprisingly, in online betting. For Saturday's entire card, Churchill Downs reported a "tentative record" of $ 62.7 million from TwinSpires.

For the Kentucky Derby alone, $ 40.8 million, another "tentative record" was set via the TwinSpires.

Both figures represent a significant increase from last year's figures, according to Churchill Downs. The race day handle was on 75 percent from 2020, and the TwinSpires Derby handle saw an increase of 75 percent.

A factor that likely helped with online betting was viewership soaring. NBC Sports on Sunday said its preliminary figures show Saturday's broadcast will average around 15 million viewers. Last year's broadcast was watched by only 9.3 million, the smallest TV audience in the history of the race.

The average viewership in 2019 was 16.5 million.

Churchill Downs Reports Comparable Oaks Handle

The second-best Kentucky Derby fixture comes the day after Churchill Downs posted third-place finish on the Kentucky Oaks standings of the day. The value of $. 3 million points placed are just behind the $ 55.8 million points in 2018 and $ 60.2 million in 2019.

Last year's Oaks card reported a total $ handle of 30.8 million.

Weekend handle $ 287.3 million followed only 2019 $ 311.1 million total.