by Jane Murray, Director of Services, Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America

Elkton, MD — Jason Wilson, Vice President-Business Development for The Jockey Club, will review the recent study conducted by McKinsey & Co. on the Thoroughbred racing industry on Monday afternoon (Oct. 3) at the 19th annual International Simulcast Conference (Oct. 3-5) in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Wilson, who joined The Jockey Club a year ago after serving as a vice president in the real estate, gaming and lodging investment banking group of Banc of America Securities, will elaborate on McKinsey’s study, including its analysis of the causes of the decline of racing, where the industry is headed over the next 10 years if it follows its current course, and recommendations for not only stemming the decline but also sparking vital growth.

Following Wilson, Brad Kimbrell, Executive Vice President of InCompass Solutions, will describe the toolset being developed as part of the “Fewer, Better Races through Rational Scheduling” initiative. This toolset will address scheduling of race dates and post times, suggest which races are most likely to fill based on horse inventory and which of those races should result in the best pari-mutuel race card. Metrics gained from the McKinsey Study will be applied to racing data along with historical information available to the InCompass RTO System to optimize race cards.

The conference’s opening speaker will be cybersecurity author Joseph Menn, who wrote “Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who are Bringing Down the Internet.”

The Tuesday schedule will feature presentations and discussion on innovations in types of wagers, betting devices, and mobile apps. There will be sessions on simulcast marketing to outlets, development of international markets, takeout reduction, and appealing to a younger demographic.

The McKinsey study’s recommendations regarding the need to raise awareness of racing through television will be addressed in the conference’s closing session on Wednesday morning.

A few rooms are still available at the host hotel, the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. For more information, please call the hotel directly at (800) 832-2025 and indicate you are with the International Simulcast Conference.

The Thoroughbred Racing Associations and the Harness Tracks of America, in conjunction with the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, co-sponsor the annual conference.