Altoona, IA - Nov. 9, 2011 - Playing the ponies at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino should soon be possible on the Internet. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is expected to approve new regulations on Thursday allowing so-called advance deposit wagering. This will let Iowa gamblers bet on horse races either online or by making a telephone call after money is placed into an account.

The Legislature authorized such wagering last session, and the commission is setting up a regulatory structure for advance deposit horse betting that is expected to start around Jan. 1, said Jack Ketterer, the commission’s administrator.

“This will be for people from throughout the state who would like to bet on Prairie Meadows races, but who really have no way of doing so” without driving to the Altoona track or to tracks in Council Bluffs or Dubuque, Ketterer said.

The size of Iowa’s market for placing wagers on horse races using the Internet or a telephone isn’t known yet, officials said.

“We are going to start doing it and we’ll find out,” said Prairie Meadows Chief Executive Officer Gary Palmer.

The track has hired a California-based consultant to help establish advance deposit wagering, but most details still need to be ironed out, he said.

Mitch Henry of Des Moines, a critic of Iowa’s gambling industry who formerly worked as a racetrack teller at Prairie Meadows, is skeptical of the plan.

“I think it will give them a temporary bump in the bottom line over the next couple of years. That’s because anytime something can be done online — be it legal or illegal — it will encourage folks who are compulsive gamblers,” Henry said.

But Henry thinks horse racing is a dying industry. He doesn’t think Internet betting on races can compete long term with people who want to go to casinos and play slot machines, which offer faster action.

Leroy Gessman, president of the Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, an industry organization, sees Internet wagering on racing as a good move.

“I know that a lot of people were already playing online, and it was always kind of legally questionable. Now they will be able to play online with Prairie Meadows and it will benefit Prairie Meadows and the horsemen,” Gessman said.

Ketterer said the commission’s regulations are aimed at clarifying any legal issues about such betting. The rules will require all advance deposit wagering in Iowa — including betting on races at other tracks such as the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby — be done through Prairie Meadows or any entity that has an agreement with Prairie Meadows, he said.

The rules scheduled for consideration Thursday are being handled on an emergency basis, which shortens the time required for adoption by state regulators. Ketterer said that will allow a faster start for the horse racing industry, which has already discussed the plans with commission officials.

However, the regulations will continue to be considered through the traditional rule-making process and will receive final approval early next year, when the emergency rules will be revoked, he said.

read more: Des Moines Register