Wagering in 2023 Continues Slight Decline Through May

Worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races fell year-to-date in 2023 by 2.81% from $5,288,282,017 last year to $5,139,620,402 this year when compared to corresponding figures in 2022. Paid-out purses rose by 2.85% as the number of race days fell by 1.87% and the number of races fell slightly from 12,515 in 2022 to 12,353 in 2023. The average available purses per race day experienced the most significant increase, a bump of almost 9% to $331,188 from 2022's $303,894. Average field size also rose from 7.33 starters in 2022 to 7.47 starters in 2023, year-to-date.

Despite record all-sources wagering on Kentucky Derby 149, May figures for 2023 fell by 1.54% from $1,414,453,489 last year to $1,392,723,387 this season and just about everything experienced a downturn with paid-out purses falling 2.69%, race days down 7.27%, number of races run down 6.89%, and the total number of starts down by 2.88% in May 2023. Average field size and available purses per race day were again up by 4.32% and 8.66%, respectively, while average wagering per race day had a bump of 6.18% this season.