Adam Bjorn discusses the importance of the new Safety and Integrity Act for horse racing

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) was just presented in September, and could possibly be the most significant authoritative accomplishment for horse racing since the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, which was passed to control interstate betting and prepare for simulcasting and record betting across state lines. The goal is to improve thoroughbred racing, especially as sports gambling continues to become more widely accepted across the US. Adam Bjorn, a gaming industry expert and horse racing authority, offers the meaning behind the HISA and how it will benefit the market.
 
At the Jockey Club Roundtable in 2011, leaders from McKinsey and Company introduced some depressing insights on thoroughbred racing. Absolute betting on thoroughbred betting in the US had declined 37%, participation at the courses had declined 30%, and starts per horse and the quantity of racing days had declined 14%.
 
Three years earlier, the racing industry at long last restricted the utilization of anabolic steroids in the wake of Big Brown’s disappointment in the Triple Crown, but it was doing little good. Explains Bjorn, “It was turning out to be progressively certain that the 30 or more individual state administrative organizations were not capable of keeping con artists out of the game and giving a level battleground to all racing members. The states basically didn’t have the cash, the complexity in testing or the desire to go after the cheaters.”
 
On July 15, 2015, Congressmen Paul Tonko Andy Barr presented the Thoroughbred Horseracing Integrity Act of 2015. The Act required the foundation of a Thoroughbred Horseracing Anti-Doping Authority, which was to be set up as an autonomous association and would hold the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for its implementation and managerial work.
 
The bill guided the powers to develop a rundown of doping rule infringements, principles of accreditation for labs in testing, rules against doping results management and the disciplinary cycle for doping rule infringement and uniform guidelines forcing sanctions against doping rule infringement.
 
There was some huge help for the bill from a number of entities, including the Water Hay Oats Alliance (WHOA), some industry associations and noticeable horse owners and breeders. In any case, the major horsemen’s associations and the Association of Racing Commissioners (ARCI) promised to battle the enactment forcefully. The situations on the two sides turned out to be more settled in when the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2017 included a ’no Lasix’ specification to the bill.
 
However, there continued to be wellness concerns all through the business. In 2008, the Jockey Club ordered its Thoroughbred Safety Committee "to audit each feature of equine wellbeing and to prescribe moves the business can make to improve the wellbeing and security of Thoroughbreds.” Adds Bjorn, “Since then, that council has proclaimed 37 new strategies, including drug testing and lab norms, pre-race reviews, a rider mishap information base, the Equine Injury Database, the utilization of the riding crop, discontinuance of the utilization of bisphosphonates and numerous other superb activities.”
 
While the Horseracing Integrity Act was increasing gradual help all through the business, a significant test emerged when 30 horses died between December 26, 2018 and June 2019 at Santa Anita Park. While a few tracks had comparative breakdown rates in earlier years, the unmistakable quality in web-based media on horse racing, the expanding intensity of basic entitlements and the public reach of traditional press turned into a compromising issue for circuits over the US.
 
During this time, different sections turned out to be more vocal about dispensing with Lasix, as it was progressively seen as a presentation upgrading drug. This was exacerbated by the way that around 5% of the racehorse industry were genuine thoroughbreds and more than 90% of the horses in most thoroughbred races ran on Lasix.
 
Next, last November, the racing associations started to lead the pack on significant security activity when Keeneland, Churchill Downs, the Breeders’ Cup, Del Mar, NYRA and the Stronach Group reported the arrangement of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition. Their needs are to guarantee the prosperity of the horses and racers, increment responsibility and promote a culture of security in the game.
 
The eventual fate of the Horseracing Integrity Act accomplished a huge achievement in December 2019 when a bipartisan lion’s share of the House of Representatives marked on as co-supporters of the bill. Representatives Tonko and Barr have served the industry quite well and the enactment was very well situated as we entered 2020.
 
The Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019 has been increasing genuine force. A comparable bill in the Senate, supported by Kirsten Gillebrand (D-NY) and Martha McSally (R-AZ), was moving in the Senate, however, with just 20 backers. That has all changed after McConnell declared his arrangements to acquaint enactment in the Senate with assistance set public principles to advance reasonableness and increment wellbeing, and help safeguard thoroughbred racing. States Bjorn, “This was the introduction of the HSIA, which will be an autonomous, non-legislative administrative body liable for improving current guidelines, bringing another degree of straightforwardness. This new Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act will give government acknowledgment and authorization power for another Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to create uniform, pattern guidelines for racing.”
 
About Adam Bjorn
 
Adam Bjorn has been involved in the gaming industry for the past two decades.  Originally from Australia, he has led casino and gaming operations for a number of different companies and has advanced knowledge of risk management, compliance, customer service, security & fraud detection, operations and general overall casino management.  In his spare time, he is an avid outdoorsman who is always looking for a new adventure. 
 
 
 
 

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Adam Bjorn

Gaming & Business Development

Adam Bjorn

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