U.S. wagering continued declines in June

U.S. betting handle continued its decline year-over-year in June, according to the latest figures from Equibase.  June wagering totaled just under $887 million, a five percent drop from June 2010's total of about $935 million.  U.S purses declined three percent from the same month a year ago, while the number of race days fell from 600 to 542, a 9.7% drop.

For the first half of the year, U.S. betting handle was down 7.7% to about $5.5 billion, compared to the same period a year ago.  But purses are up 1.1% to just over $482 million.  The number of race days has fallen 6.6%.