Press Release:

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) issued the following statement after the release of the Equibase Annual Year End 2022 Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators.

“Thoroughbred racing purses and pari-mutuel handle continued to exhibit strength in 2022. Purses were up double-digits year-over year and reached an all-time high thanks in part to contributions from other gaming sources,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “Pari-mutuel handle was nearly equal to 2021 and the second highest since 2009. These business trends occurred during a year of unprecedented growth in legal, state regulated sports betting. The 2023 gaming landscape promises to be more competitive than ever for the sports wagering dollar. It also represents a huge opportunity to introduce pari-mutuel wagering and the sport of Thoroughbred racing to a vast new audience if we as an industry embrace the challenge.”

Total wagering for the year ended slightly down at -0.87% while purses continued their upward trend, ending up significantly at +10.92%, when compared to 2021. Year to date 2022 vs. 2021 indicators are listed below:

YTD 2022 vs YTD 2021:
Indicator YTD 2022 YTD 2021 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $12,108,807,335 $12,215,598,838 -0.87%
U.S. Purses $1,309,837,841 $1,180,842,882 +10.92%
U.S. Race Days 4,104 4,072 +0.79%
U.S. Races 33,453 33,565 -0.33%
U.S. Starts 244,133 247,405 -1.32%
Average Field Size 7.30 7.37 -0.99%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $2,950,489 $2,999,901 -1.65%
Average Purses Per Race Day $319,161 $289,991 +10.06%