Section 260. Generally

Part III. Pari-Mutuel Wagering

A. Permitted wagering. All permitted wagering shall be under a pari-mutuel wagering system whereby the holders of winning tickets divide the total amount wagered, less retainage, in proportion to the sums they have wagered individually. All other systems of wagering other than pari-mutuel, e.g., bookmaking and auction-pool selling, are prohibited and any person participating or attempting to participate in prohibited wagering shall be excluded from the enclosure or satellite facility.

B. Persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from wagering. No person under the age of 18 shall be permitted by any licensee to purchase or cash a pari-mutuel ticket. No employee of the licensee shall knowingly sell or cash any pari-mutuel ticket for a person under the age of 18.

C. Posted order of finish. Payment of valid pari-mutuel tickets shall be made on the basis of the order of finish as posted on the display devices and declared "official" by the stewards. Any subsequent change in the order of finish or award of purse money as may result from a ruling by the stewards or commission shall in no way affect the pari-mutuel payout.

D. Errors in payment. The licensee shall be responsible for the correctness of all payouts posted as "official" on the display devices. If an error is made in posting the payout figures on the display devices and discovered before any tickets are cashed, the error shall be corrected accompanied by a public address announcement, and only the correct amounts shall be used in the payout, irrespective of the initial error on the display devices.

1. The licensee shall compare the two independent final pool totals and payouts calculated by the totalizator prior to posting them on the display devices.

2. If an error is made in posting the payout figures on the display devices and discovered after tickets have been cashed, where the public is underpaid, the amount of the underpayment shall be added to the same pool immediately following. Where the public is overpaid, the amount of the overpayment shall be absorbed by the licensee.

3. If any underpayment is discovered after the close of the horse race meeting or an opportunity does not exist to add the amount of the underpayment to the same pool, the total underpayment shall be placed in an interest-bearing account and added to the same pool at the next race meeting of the same breed.

E. Minimum wagers. The minimum wager for straight wagering shall be $2.00. The licensee may determine the minimum wager for multiple wagering, which shall be no less than $.10.

F. Minimum payouts. The licensee shall pay to the holder of any ticket entitling the holder to participate in the distribution of a pari-mutuel pool the amount wagered by the holder plus a minimum profit of 5.0% or $.01, whichever is greater. If such a payout creates a deficiency in the pari-mutuel pool, the licensee shall make up the deficiency from its share of the pari-mutuel wagering.

The licensee, with the approval of the stewards, may bar wagering on a horse or entry in any or all pari-mutuel pools in a stakes race, handicap, futurity or other special event where the licensee has good and sufficient reason to believe that accepting wagers on the horse or entry may result in a deficiency or minus pool. The decision to bar wagering on a horse or entry shall be announced publicly before wagers are accepted on that race.

G. Posting of regulations. A general explanation of this chapter may be posted for the benefit of the public in the wagering areas of the enclosure and satellite facilities.

H. Identification of holder. The licensee shall require positive identification of a holder of a valid winning pari-mutuel ticket before the payment when, in the stewards' discretion, circumstances warrant this action.

I. Wagers placed in cash. The licensee shall only accept wagers placed in cash or vouchers and then only at the racetrack or satellite facilities. It shall be the responsibility of the licensee to instruct the mutuel clerks to accept wagers on a "cash only" basis.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR662-01-02 § 3.1, Volume 06, Issue 13, eff. April 25, 1990; Volume 14, Issue 01, eff. October 29, 1997; Volume 18, Issue 20, eff. May 22, 2002; Volume 22, Issue 15, eff. March 7, 2006; Volume 29, Issue 13, eff. March 1, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§ 59.1-369 of the Code of Virginia.