Ja Today, Jam Tomorrow, It’s A Sugar Fix For Jamaican Horseracing

Fixed-odds betting has finally come to Jamaica’s storied Caymanas Park racecourse, the premier track in the West Indies – thanks to Australia’s BetMakers Technology Group.

“Jamaica punches well above its weight when it comes to [its] betting handle, so we are in for some exciting times now that we have launched fixed odds betting in a second jurisdiction in the Americas,” said Betmakers Head of US Business Development Dallas Baker.

“The culture and passion for racing in Jamaica really needs to be seen to be believed!”

BetMakers completed their fixed-odds mission at the Kingston course on Saturday (December 3) at the running of the inaugural “Mouttet Mile”, that is now–at US$125,000 (£102,444/€119,000)–one of the richest prizes in Caribbean horse racing.

The race was won by mild outsider Excessive Force, a five-year-old chestnut, ridden by Bebeto Harvey and trained by local legend Philip Feanny.

Caribbean gaming provider Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Ltd are partners in the breakthrough Jamaican gambling offering.

They have opened several betting stands at Caymanas Park, a former sugar estate in the one-time British colony, which opened in 1959. A caymanasbet.com site is set to launch early next year.

Added Baker: “Like all of our partner tracks, we are committed to the growth of racing and reinvestment in the industry.

“As we have seen in Australia with the boom in racing handle over the fifteen years following the deregulation of fixed odds betting, new players are entering the industry, innovation and technology advancements are plentiful, and the customer experience is at an all-time high.

“The team at Caymanas Park, headed by [Chair] Solomon Sharpe, are committed to the promotion of horse racing and we are very proud to join with them in efforts to grow racing for all participants in Jamaica.”

To which we at iGF can only respond: Sweet.