CPMA upholds refund of Northlands race

A conference call between the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA), Horse Racing Alberta, AmTote and Northlands Park has resulted in the determination that since monies wagered late on the 10th race last Saturday at the Alberta racetrack the decision at the time to refund all the betting pools was the correct one. 

There was total wagering of $13,783 on the race, but because of what Northlands director of racing Kevin Behm told the Edmonton Journal was an Amtote software problem that “resulted in a glitch that caused the final cycle of odds not to happen (which) resulted in the inability to determine final pricing,” the pools were compromised. 

Without the late money being added to the pools, there was no way of determining exactly how much was wagered on the race. CPMA rules state that when that kind of situation occurs, then all pools must be refunded to the bettors.  

At first, track announcer Sugar Doyle stated that there would “be a slight delay in the pays being posted.” The decision to refund the race then came about 90 minutes after the race was declared “official,” although no prices were ever posted. With a 12-1 horse winning, followed by a 7-1 shot second and the betting favorite third, the prices likely would have been considerable. 

Behm said that anyone still holding bet tickets on the race should bring them to the track for a refund. He added that anyone who threw their losing tickets away should file a claim which will be handled by the CPMA. 

“It’s a mess, but at least we have assurances from AmTote that they have made programming changes to their software and are confident the measures they have taken over the last 72 hours have resolved this issue,” said Behm.

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