A common question we get at HorseTourneys is regarding the withdrawal of funds that have been deposited but not ultimately played. For example, a person may deposit funds and then try unsucessfully to play in contests (such as Head-to-Head events) that may not fill up. Or, perhaps a racetrack has to cancel due to weather. Why shouldn’t players be allowed to pull that money back out?

The policy of not allowing deposited funds to be withdrawn is virtually a universal one in the online gaming sector, and not a matter of being player friendly or un-friendly. There are several reasons why this is so, and why it’s one of the strictest rules we must maintain here at HorseTourneys. They are:

(1) HorseTourneys pays merchant fees on all deposits players make

To accept deposits, merchants like HorseTourneys pay fees to banks and payment processors. These fees vary by deposit type, but most gaming companies pay high transaction fees across the board on all deposit types due to the “high-risk” categorization of the business.

At HorseTourneys, our blended deposit fees are well over four (4) percent on the amount deposited. Unlike other horse racing sites (such as ADWs) and most other online gaming sites, we do not charge this percentage to the customer and instead, absorb it into our expense structure. That we do not charge these fees is an immediate and significant benefit to the HorseTourneys player.

Some people ask, “why can’t you simply refund the deposit?” Believe it or not, even if we refund a player’s deposit, we don’t get the fees we’ve paid on those funds back. Those are kept by the bank and processor (including PayPal), primarily as a means to discourage refunds. So simply refunding your card or PayPal is not a solution to the problem.

The overall profit margin after track commissions and operating expenses of HorseTourneys is very small, and deposit fees themselves are far greater than that profit margin. Therefore, from a financial standpoint, it’s simply untenable for us to allow players full refunds of amounts deposited due to common circumstances such as a contest not filling. Tournaments are unique in this way–there’s always the chance that an event may not fill to the parameters needed to run. This is a reality that tournament players must come to accept.

(2) It’s against Anti-Money Laundering Policies of regulators, banks and payment processors

The practice of allowing someone to deposit money into a business, and then pull that same money out, is practically the definition of money laundering. If this practice were allowed, criminal types could launder money through online gaming operations with abandon.

This exact practice is expressly prohibited in contracts we sign with banks, as well as against regulations of horse racing and gaming regulatory commissions. This is something that is actually examined by auditors of HorseTourneys and gaming companies like it. Literally, if we do that, we risk our gaming licenses and the ability to ultimately serve our customers.

(Less Importantly) (3) It would be a logistical nightmare

Even if we could refund players without financial impact and without regulatory hurdles, it would be a complete mess to do so. For example, consider if a major track cancels a racecard. We could literally be staring at hundreds of refund requests. It’s simply not reasonable for such accounting staff time to be dedicated to processing refunds and withdrawals due to common circumstances such as those.

At the end of the day, due to the realities of payment processing and regulations in the online gaming space, players must agree to ultimately play any funds that have been deposited. This policy is steadfast and without exception for both longtime players and newcomers alike.

Beginning in early September, the security parameters for both HorsePlayers and HorseTourneys were updated. Specifically, account sharing is no longer permitted.

What this means is that all players must access the site completely independently, using a discrete device. In other words, players are no longer permitted to access the accounts of other players. Each player must access his or her account on a unique device, be it a desktop, laptop, smartphone, iPad, or any other device that can access the internet.

Accessing of the accounts of other players will result in the locking of accounts of those involved. If an account is locked, players will be required to verify his or her account via email, which may be requested via a prompt received at login.

If your account has been locked, you must follow these instructions to unlock your account. Customer service at either HorsePlayers or HorseTourneys will not perform this function for you – this must be done by the player.

While we understand that these new security parameters may be inconvenient for some family members or otherwise that may have accessed the site via a shared device in the past, this change is obligatory moving forward.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Beginning July 1, a new policy took effect regarding “Re-Deposits.”  The term “Re-Deposits” refers to deposits made by players shortly after withdrawing funds from HorseTourneys.  This activity has been commonplace, and has been increasing in frequency as of late.

Why is this an issue for us?  HorseTourneys pays significant transaction fees to financial institutions on all deposits made by players, whether those deposits are made by credit or debit card, PayPal, or ACH.  HorseTourneys does not charge these deposit fees to customers, and instead absorbs these fees within our expense structure.  These deposit fees represent–by far–the largest expense line item on our balance sheet.  

While other horse racing wagering sites (such as major ADW sites) typically charge a minimum of $5 per transaction for a credit, debit or PayPal deposit, HorseTourneys currently only charges a 75 cent transaction fee on those deposits, and does not charge a fee at all on ACH deposits.  Our deposit policies are by far the most customer-friendly in the industry—and HorseTourneys does this while operating on a takeout margin roughly half that of a traditional pari-mutuel wagering outlet.

When players withdraw funds from HorseTourneys, and then re-deposit funds again within 24 hours, HorseTourneys is essentially double-paying deposit fees for those funds. This is unwarranted.

We understand why players may wish to do this, particularly with credit and debit cards.  Many credit and debit cards offer rewards on use of those cards.  The more a player deposits with said cards, the more rewards are earned.  Or, the activity may be simply one of habit, or as a means of bankroll management.  Regardless of the reason, management has determined that we cannot allow this activity to continue as is currently the case.

Beginning July 1, 2023, HorseTourneys is implementing the following policy:

-Players will be allowed a maximum of five (5) “re-deposits”, defined as a deposit made that is equal to or less than a withdrawal that has been requested within the past 24 hours, within a rolling 30-day period

-If a player exceeds this re-deposit threshold within the 30-day rolling period, those re-deposits above the threshold will incur a five (5) percent fee.  In other words, five percent of the requested re-deposit amount will be added to the total of the deposit.  This additional five percent will not be credited to accounts

If applicable, the fee will be included in the deposit summary that is presented to you prior to confirming a deposit.  

Players can easily avoid this fee by simply not depositing an equal or lesser amount of a previous withdrawal within 24 hours.  Entry fees that are intended to be played within 24 hours should be played from an existing account balance.

HorseTourneys strives to be as player-friendly as possible with regard to takeout, fees and other financial issues affecting customers.  If you have questions regarding this change, you may reach out to us at support@horsetourneys.com.

HorseTourneys was greatly disappointed to learn, yesterday afternoon, of the integrity issue at the most recent National Horseplayers Championship (NHC).

Operating tournaments 364 days each year, we believe strongly that it is impossible to succeed if our players do not have a high level of trust in all that we do. We actively monitor for signs of collusion in our tourneys and take punitive action when appropriate.

Upon learning the names today of the three individuals suspended by the NTRA, we have decided to honor that suspension and ban the three from competing in all contests at HorseTourneys and HorsePlayers through the 2025 NHC.

Only one of the three men maintained an account at HorseTourneys/HorsePlayers. That account has now been deactivated.

HorseTourneys Management

There has been a major change to how AUSTRALIA tracks are coded in the tote system that went effective March 20. This change will require development on our site to accommodate the changes.

As a result, we will be temporarily unable to offer tournaments on AUSTRALIA racing. We expect to be able to resume offering AUSTRALIA tournaments beginning the week of Monday, April 27. If the delay is any further than this, we will notify all players via email.

HorseTourneys Management

This blog is sent out annually as a reminder of some tweaks we here at HorseTourneys employ to try and mitigate the effects of winter weather on scheduling. For beginners and veteran tourney players alike, it’s always a good idea for a quick refresher:

As we roll into the winter months, it’s a good idea that we explain our approach to scheduling, which we tweak this time of year.  We’ve employed this approach every year, and it just bears a quick reminder every November or so as chilly temperatures descend across the land.

PayPal management has notified us that effectively immediately, the following changes will be applied to the HorseTourneys PayPal account (and accounts of any horse racing provider that accepts PayPal):

• Credit or Debit cards will no longer be an option to make deposits directly on HorseTourneys using PayPal
• The two options to use PayPal for direct deposits are: (1) using a PayPal balance; or (2) using a registered bank account

PLEASE NOTE: You may still use a debit card by first using that card to fund your PayPal balance. To do this, follow these steps:

(1) Login to PayPal

(2) Go to “Transfer Money”

(3) Go to “Add money from your bank or debit card”

(4) Follow the instructions to add funds from your debit card to your PayPal balance

(5) Once your PayPal balance has been updated, you may then use your balance to deposit directly at HorseTourneys.

You may email us at support@horsetourneys.com with any questions.

In an effort to reduce the home page listing size and load of HorseTourneys, effective immediately, please note that both WINNER TAKE ALL and HEAD-TO-HEAD events for some tracks will no longer appear on the main, home page listing.

These tournaments may be accessed by using the filters for both WINNER TAKE ALL and HEAD-TO-HEAD, found under the TYPE header in the filter section.

So for example, if you desire a $100 WINNER TAKE ALL event for HAWTHORNE, you would choose the WINNER TAKE ALL from the TYPE filter options. If you’d like to quickly find HAWTHORNE, also select the HAW option from the TRACKS list.

The same applies for HEAD-TO-HEAD. You may choose the HEAD-TO-HEAD option from the TYPE filter and find what track you’re looking for. Or, add the TRACK from the TRACK filter to narrow it more.

The tracks running at this current time that are affected by this change are as follows:

DELAWARE PARK
HORSESHOE INDIANAPOLIS
LAUREL
MAHONING VALLEY
HAWTHORNE
GOLDEN GATE
EARLY OR LATE BEL/KEE/SA

Please contact support at support@horsetourneys.com with any questions.

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