Not only is it opening weekend at the Spa…we’re also currently offering a 12% deposit bonus up until midnight Eastern tonight (Thursday). So what better time to load up your account and enjoy great contest action on top-quality racing?

The previous “Weekly Recap” covered our Fourth of July featured tourneys. That day, Chris Cupples not only earned $10,108 for winning the day’s $15,000 Guaranteed cash game, he took home an NHC seat in a special $125 qualifier.

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 will be no shortage of opportunities this weekend to qualify for big events. We have 25 featured tourneys this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and all but one or two each day are games that can land you a spot in lucrative tournaments down the road.

If the Fourth of July wasn’t a “year-maker” for Dylan Donnelly, then it was at least a “summer-maker”.

Three NHC seats will be up for grabs on the first day of July (Saturday) when HorsePlayers hosts its latest free qualifier. If you are a 2023 NHC Tour member, it’s free to play. If you are not one, you can become one quickly and easily at NTRA.com in exchange for a $50 membership fee. 

Last week’s 26 features tourneys were predominantly Live-format affairs, including the first one of the week on Wednesday, a $5,000 Guaranteed cash tourney won by Peter Osella.

If other sports were like horse racing contests, then the NFL would conclude with the Super Challenge and the climax of baseball season would be the World Challenge. Well, there are now two more Challenges to add to the ever-growing list: the August 12 Saratoga Challenge (playable on-track or at NYRABets) and the July 22 Haskell Challenge (playable online only at either Xpressbet or 4NJBETS). 

No one had a better day on Wednesday than Scott Nelson—and it could also be argued that no one had a better week than he did.