by Brian deJong, for Saratoga Raceway

Saratoga Springs, NY — Bettors will have a new way to hit it big as Saratoga Gaming and Raceway introduces two new exotic wagers beginning September 12. The raceway is one of only four North American venues offering the new betting opportunity.

The wagers known as the V75 and V64, are exotic wagers on Swedish trotting races where bettors must pick the winners of multiple, consecutive races. The V75 is a ten-cent pick seven in which bettors must select the winning horse in seven races of a Saturday morning program, with consolation payoffs going to those who select five or six out of seven. The V64 is a 20-cent pick six wager offered on a Wednesday afternoon program. There are also consolation prizes for picking four and five winners out of six. If no one selects all seven winners in the V75 or all six winners in the V64, the pool carries over to the next week to form a jackpot.

Both wagers are quite popular in Europe, with average weekly pools at $11 million for the V75 and $2.5 million for the V64. Carryover pools have grown to as much as $25 million. The record payout for the V75 is $4.8 million and the largest payout for the V64 was $566,451.

V75 betting opens on Wednesdays and closes at the end of the day on Fridays. Post time for the selected V75 races from Sweden is at 8:00 a.m. on Saturdays. The Raceway will not offer live simulcasting of the V75 races, but guests may view replays at 11:45 a.m. V64 betting opens Mondays and closes on Wednesdays at first race post time of 1:00 p.m. Guests may watch Swedish racing live and make other wagers throughout the Wednesday card.

There is also a ‘quick pick’ available for both wagers called Harry Boy. The computerized Harry Boy selects the horses, based on how others have bet, combining favorites with long shots. Bettors also have the option of picking one or more horses themselves in some races and then letting the Harry Boy make selections for the remaining races. More information, including free racing programs, can be found at www.v75usa.com. Free V75 and V64 programs also will be available at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.