Kentucky Derby sees lowest handle in 18 years

Wagering on Saturday’s Derby Day amounted to around $126 million.

US- The Kentucky Derby’s wagering handle this weekend was down by 49.8 per cent from last year’s figures.

Wagering on Kentucky’s Derby Day on Saturday reached around $126 million, just under half of last year’s handle.

This year’s postponed event was held behind closed doors at Churchill Downs due to the pandemic, with no on-site betting.

Churchill Downs CEO William C. Carstanjen said: “We are grateful to our fans and our community for their support of the 146th Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby We look forward to seeing our loyal fans at next year’s 147th Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby on the first weekend of May.”

The Kentucky Derby is usually hosted in May but was posponed this year until September 5 because of the pandemic.

The betting handle was the lowest its been since 2002, when wagers totalled $123.2 million.

Executives of Churchill said it was difficult to compare this year’s figures with last year’s given the unusual set of circumstances that prevail.

The effect of the pandemic has been different for the various segments of the gaming industry. The Kentucky Lottery saw a 31.9 per cent increase in ticket sales for the month of May.