It's time we take the impact of CAW's seriously.

A major storyline in North American Thoroughbred racing this week isn’t about the upcoming Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on October 13st and November 1st - it’s about CAW (computer-assisted wagering).

In short:
+Large betting syndicates use algorithms and live feeds to place very large bets in the final seconds
+Those final-second wagers can swing the odds after the public has already placed bets (rightly upsetting a key population in our business - the horse players)
+The result is a growing perception that the playing field isn’t level (because let's be honest....it isn't)

Many racing industry leaders are now publicly pushing for limits or reforms because the bigger risk isn’t financial — it’s loss of trust among everyday participants (something that the racing industry as a whole is facing).

When a technological advantage benefits a small group but erodes confidence in the broader customer base, growth eventually suffers — not because of the math, but because people stop believing the system is fair.

CAW system's impact on betting and live racing is just one example.

At the end of the day, consumer trust in your product is paramount to the success, growth, and longevity of said product. This concept is one that the Thoroughbred industry has struggled with in recent years with quick fixes in many departments nearly impossible. Where CAW is concerned, however, we have an opportunity to work together to regulate these entities starting with, in my opinion, longer cut off times of no less than five minutes to post.

Despite their critical importance, too often the horse players are an underserved population of our sport. It's time we take the impact of CAW's seriously.