Kentucky Derby Week suddenly holds more options for Caesars Sportsbook customers in the Bluegrass State as they now have access to parimutuel horse race wagering.
It became official Tuesday, April 29, when Caesars Entertainment announced that the Caesars Racebook wagering interface has been integrated into the Caesars Sportsbook app in the states of Kentucky and Colorado.
The 151st Kentucky Derby is Saturday (6:57 p.m. ET post time) at Churchill Downs.
Caesars Sportsbook, Racebook have shared wallet
The Caesars Racebook interface is powered by NYRA (New York Racing Association) Bets.
An added plus is that it’s a shared wallet arrangement, allowing current Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky and Colorado customers to quickly toggle via the app to Caesars Racebook and place parimutuel horse race wagers using their sportsbook account funds.
Caesars thus joins the FanDuel Sportsbook-FanDuel Racing pairing as one of the few shared sportsbook/horse racing wallets in the industry.
In addition, Caesars Racebook also is part of the Caesars Rewards loyalty program with users earning Reward Credits and Tier Credits with every horse racing wager.
“Integrating pari-mutuel horse racing into the Caesars Sportsbook app is a significant milestone for both our digital business and the sport of horse racing,” Caesars Digital Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer Dan Shapiro said Tuesday in a company news release. “Our customers will be able to bet on horse racing, whether it’s the sport’s biggest events or daily races from tacks around the world.
“Now our product seamlessly puts the action directly in front of an expanded audience and reinforces Caesars’ commitment to horse racing. We look forward to continuing our work with the New York Racing Association and NYRA Bets to expand the availability across more states as we gain regulatory approvals.”
Caesars offering live streams of 300-plus horse races annually
Caesars Racebook also will feature a bevy of live race streams, allowing bettors to track their horses and wagers.
More than 300 annual races will be available to stream on Caesars Racebook, Caesars said in its release. That includes streams from Aqueduct, Saratoga Race Course, Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita in addition to races at Caesars’ current partner tracks such as Del Mar, Monmouth Park, Keeneland and Red Mile.
Caesars also currently operates a number of prominent horse tracks as well, including Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Harrah’s Philadelphia and Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs.
Caesars Racebook horse bettors also will have access to race statistics and handicapping data within the app.
“Horse racing plays an important role in the betting marketplace, and we appreciate Caesars’ long-standing commitment to elevating the sport and growing fan engagement,” NYRA president Tony Allevato said in the Caesars release. “Launching the shared wallet functionality allows Caesars to provide its large customer base with premier racing content through a comprehensive and easy-to-access wagering menu.”
The Caesars Sportsbook/Racebook integration is expected to expand soon to other states.
In the meantime, the Caesars Racebook standalone app remains available for download on iOS, Android and desktop in 20 U.S. states, including California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
