July 18, 2024 – Just in time for the commencement of Saratoga's much awaited summer racing season, FanDuel and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have settled a substantial contract disagreement. Horse betting on FanDuel's platforms had been suspended due to a dispute, but it was resolved on Thursday, allowing bettors all over the country to resume on New York racing events.

Initial Point of Contention

NYRA and FanDuel declared a contract impasse, which resulted in the removal of NYRA material from the FanDuel Sportsbook, FanDuel Racing app, and TVG horse betting app. The timing of this conflict was especially important, since the popular summer racing season was drawing near.

NYRA’s vice president of communications, Patrick McKenna shared “NYRA’s mission is to conduct world-class racing for the benefit of the state’s economy while growing the sport and creating opportunities for horsemen and breeders to compete for robust purses throughout the year.”

The main point of contention was the extra portion of handling that NYRA requested from wagers placed by citizens of New York State. NYRA agreements used to include host fees solely for content. FanDuel first objected to NYRA's demand for a portion of the material wagered on by New Yorkers, regardless of the game.

“NYRA agreements have traditionally been host-fee agreements for content only, but recently they also want a share of New York residents’ play from us regardless of what content those residents bet on. They’ve basically said that if we don’t pay that, then we don’t get access to NYRA content,” Fan Duel Racing’s general manager, Andrew Moore explains.

About Saratoga Race Course

Starting on Thursday and lasting through September 2, the 2024 summer meet will be held at Saratoga Race Course, one of NYRA's premier horse betting venues along with the Belmont Stakes. Twenty-seven Grade 1 flat races and two Grade 1 steeplechase races with 71 prizes totaling $20.75 million in purses will be held during the 40-day meet.