Back in the day – say, the 1930s – if you wanted to gamble, the only legal action was the local horse track. Sure, Nevada had casinos, but nowhere else. There were no lotteries, no riverboats, no Internet. Horse racing was not just the only legal gambling option, but it was also one of America’s most popular sporting events. Only baseball could rival horse racing for fan appeal and newspaper headlines. It was a time of Seabiscuit, War Admiral, and Whirlaway. Flash forward to today. Some form of gambling is available in almost every state. There are casinos damn near everywhere, on land, on water, on reservations. Mega-jackpot state lotteries flourish. Daily Fantasy Sports are the latest “next big thing” online, and, of course, we’ve gone through a boom-and-bust-and-reborn cycle with online poker. And racing? Long proclaimed dead more than once, horse racing, specifically Thoroughbred racing, is alive and well. Who doesn’t know about American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown AND Breeder’s Cup winner ever? There are new tracks popping up across the country, and horse racing is as strong as ever overseas, as England, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hong Kong have strong racing programs. And, thanks to the Internet, you can wager on ALL OF IT. The ABC’s of Online Horse Racing looks at the various online websites that provide you with a box seat on the action. Every aspect of setting up an account and learning the betting pad are covered, and later chapters teach you how to handicap like the professionals. Geared to gamblers who have never considered betting the ponies, The ABC’s of Online Horse Racing is a beginner’s guide to online horse racing, teaching you how and where to watch, wager, and win in the 21st Century version of this great sport.

How to enjoy a day at the races-and bet to win! The last two years have seen a record number of Americans tune in for climatic Triple Crown races featuring Smarty Jones and Funny Cide; in 2004, television viewership jumped a whopping 61 percent over the record set in 2003, and the Belmont Stakes race itself drew a record crowd of more than 120,000! This easy-to-understand guide shows first-time visitors to the track how to enjoy the sport of horse racing-and make smart bets. It explains: what goes on at the track what to look for in horses and jockeys how to read a racing form and do simple handicapping how to manage betting funds and make wagers that stand a good chance of paying off. Complete with coverage of off-track and online betting, it's just what anyone needs to play the ponies-and win! Richard Eng (Las Vegas, NV) is a racing writer and handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, and the host of a horseracing radio program in Las Vegas. He was formerly a part of the ABC Sports team that covered the Triple Crown.

Money Secrets At The Racetrack is an amazing money-management manual for thoroughbred, harness, quarterhorse, and greyhound players. It shows you exact methods on how to make the most money at the track.

This distinctive Handbook covers the breadth of sports and media scholarship. Organized into historical, institutional, spectator, and critical studies perspectives, this volume brings together the work of many researchers, defining the full scope of the subject area, including the development of sports media; production, coverage, and economics of sports media; sports media audiences; sports promotion; and race and gender issues in sports and media.