Gentlemen and ladies, place your bets for the hottest ticket in town at Tampa Bay Downs and you may win $20,000. Tour registration opens Jan. 6th.
From 11 am to 6 pm Saturday, Jan. 11th, Tampa Bay Downs hosts the 2020 High Rollers Handicapping Contest with a $1,000 buy-in ($500 Bankroll, $500 Prize Pool), and it’s the ultimate kick-off to a lucky New Year. 100% of the prize money is returned to the players. (Scroll down to see contest rules.)
Bettors put up $1,000 to chase a $20,000 first prize (based on 100 players), other cash awards and seats for the top two finishers at either the 2020 or 2021 National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, plus accommodations. Do you have the steel and the know-how to compete?
The January 11 event will be the Last Chance/First Opportunity with Tour Points to win two seats for the 2020 or 2021 NTRA NHC in Las Vegas. The most recent NHC offered prize money and awards totaling more than $2.8 million. #NHC2020 will be held February 7-9, 2020 at Bally’s.
Buy your tickets now before they’re gone! (Eventbrite's fee is non-refundable). Tampa Bay Downs, 11225 Race Track Road Tampa, FL 33626
RELATED CONTENT: Stakes Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs- January 18th@ 11 am: This is a stakes race-packed day filled with excitement you do not want to miss! The day includes The Pasco Stakes ($125,000 Guaranteed includes $50,000 from FSS Fund, $25,000 from FTBOA Stakes Fund), The Gasparilla Stakes ($125,000 Guaranteed includes $50,000 from FSS Fund, $25,000 from FTBOA Stakes Fund) which is a distance of seven furlongs and is for 3-year old males and The Wayward Lass Stakes ($50,000 Guaranteed) which is for fillies and mares four years old and upward racing one mile and 1/16th.
About Tampa Bay Downs This is the premier multi-entertainment destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast. You can start your day with an afternoon of world-class Thoroughbred racing or check out the high-stakes action in The Silks Poker Room. If you’re a golfer, bring your clubs to the state-of-the-art Downs Golf Practice Facility, where the stable of PGA Class A professionals can help improve your game. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options are available throughout the facility, and families can enjoy the laid-back ambiance in the picnic area between races. Groups are always welcome and musical concerts are staged periodically throughout the year.
HIGH ROLLERS HANDICAPPING CONTEST RULES
Reminder: All contestants at qualifying tournaments must have paid a one-time annual NTRA membership fee of $50 in order to be eligible to compete at the National Horseplayers Championship. Contestants may opt not to purchase the $50 annual NTRA membership, but they would then be competing in qualifying tournaments for prize money only at the qualifiers, and not for the available berths in the NHC Finals. NHC berths at a given qualifier will only be available to those who are paid NTRA members prior to the start of competition at a qualifying tournament. Please contact the NTRA directly if you have any questions or concerns regarding these stipulations at mravencraft@ntra.com or 859-422-2657. ***If the contestant wishes to play for a 2021 Seat they must be a member of the 2020 Tour.
1. BANKROLL: The (“Tournament”) is a "real money" handicapping challenge. A player will be required to deposit $1,000, of which $500 will be the player’s bankroll for wagering during the Tournament, with the remaining $500 going to the Prize Pool. At the conclusion of the Tournament, any dollar amount remaining in the bankroll — whether it grows to $100,000 or falls to $100 — will remain the property of the player.
2. ENTRY INFORMATION: To enter, register at www.tampabaydowns/challenge and make the required payment of $1,000 on or before 12 NOON on SATURDAY, January 11, 2020. If for some reason a player is unable to make a payment online, the player may contact Tampa Bay Downs, Inc. prior to 12 NOON on SATURDAY, January 11, 2020, by contacting Margo Flynn at mjflynn@tampabaydowns.com or at 813-855-4401 ext. 1368 to make a payment.
3. WAGERING FORMAT: Only races at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, January 11, 2020, will be included in the Tournament. The Tournament will conclude with the final race at Tampa Bay Downs. Wager types permitted are Win, Place and/or Show only. Players must comply with the minimum wagering requirements noted below.
Players can only bet (5) $100 (Win, Place and/or Show) wagers on the races during the tournament on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Wagering anything other than $100 per race, 5 races, or another pool other than Win, Place and Show pools during the contest will result in a disqualification from prizes. There are no caps on payouts. The player with the highest score (which is calculated by taking player’s total bankroll) at the end of the Tournament on Saturday, January 11, 2020, is the Grand Prize winner. Players wagering on less/more than 5 races during the tournament will be disqualified from prizes. Example: Race 1 $50 to win, $25 to place and $25 to show on #1 ($100.00) or Race 1 $50 to win on #1 and $50 to place on #2 ($100.00).
Contestants may only wager on five races at Tampa Bay Downs. Exceeding (5) total races will result in disqualification from the tournament.
4. CHALLENGE SCORING: Players begin with $500 which is the equivalent of 500 Challenge points. A player’s challenge score will be the equivalent of their bankroll at a rate of 1 point = $1.00 subject to any penalties as noted in the rules.
5. ESTIMATED PRIZES: Of the $1,000 buy-in, $500 will be placed in the prize pool with 100% of the prize money paid out as prizes. The first and second-place finishers will receive their choice of a seat in either the 2020 or 2021 National Horseplayers Championship plus Tour Points. (Prizes include hotel accommodations). The prize pool will be based solely on the number of entries – example below.
A prize pool based on 100 entries is as follows:
1st place: $20,000 or 50% plus a seat in either the 2019 or 2020 National Horseplayers Championship
2nd place: $8,000 or 20% plus a seat in either the 2019 or 2020 National Horseplayers Championship
3rd place: $6000 or 15%
4th place: $4,000 or 10%
5th place: $2000 or 5 %
6. PLAYER CARDS: Each participant will be issued a player card to be used for all Tournament wagers. This account-wagering card contains the "real money" bankroll of $500. Upon receipt, participants should test the card in self-service machines to become familiar with placing wagers and ensure the card is working properly. If a player loses his/her card or the card is not working, the player is responsible for immediately reporting the issue to Tournament officials so they may resolve the problem. Players must make only Tournament wagers on this card. TAMPA BAY DOWNS is not responsible for lost or stolen cards.
7. PLACING WAGERS: All contest wagers may be placed through selected self-service machines throughout Tampa Bay Downs. Wagers will not be accepted through mutual tellers at Tampa Bay Downs but there are numerous self-service betting machines located throughout the facility and in the tournament room. Players must place all wagers personally. No person shall directly or indirectly act as an intermediary, transmitter or agent in placing wagers for the player, unless authorized by Tournament officials. All official track rulings will apply to wagers placed in the Tournament except as otherwise stipulated. The Tournament will be based on the running order and mutual prices at the respective host track. If a player wagers on any track other than Tampa Bay Downs for purposes of the tournament, the player may be disqualified.
8. IRS WITHHOLDING: If winnings less the wager exceed $5,000 and if the winnings are at least 300 times the total net amount bet through a single account on a single track/day/race/pool; IRS withholding will automatically be deducted from the player's card. Whereas, for Tournament scoring purposes, the gross amount of the winning wager will be recorded in the player's score. Please note for purposes of wagering in the Tournament, only the net amount (the amount received after the IRS withholding) will be available to the player. TAMPA BAY DOWNS is not responsible for a player missing a bet due to winnings being withheld.
9. SCRATCHES: If a horse is scratched after a wager is placed, it is the player's responsibility to change his/her selection prior to the race subject to all other Tournament wagering rules. In the event a player is not able to change his/her selection due to a late scratch (within 10 minutes to post), which prohibits the player from wagering on the minimum number of races on Saturday, January 18, 2020, the player will have the amount not wagered, up to the required minimum per race, deducted from the player's final tournament score. However, this amount will not be deducted from the player's personal bankroll. No penalties will be assessed on player wagers involving any horses ruled as non-starters by stewards.
10. TIES: In the result of a tie for a cash-prize placing, the prize money will be divided equally among the players involved.
11. TOURNAMENT STANDINGS: Officials will endeavor to post the standings on TV monitors in the tournament area. Issues related to IRS withholding, late scratches or other matters could delay the posting of the scores. All standings are unofficial until the final results are audited and posted. Players are encouraged to maintain an accurate record of their wagers and scoring.
12. AGE INELIGIBILITY / DISCLOSURE: Players must be at least 18 years of age to participate in the Tournament. The following are ineligible to participate in this contest: Employees of TAMPA BAY DOWNS, AmTote, or any of their subsidiaries, or members of their immediate families, including spouses, children, siblings and parents of any of the foregoing. If anyone has any training or ownership interest in any horses running in any of the applicable Tournament races, then all involvements must be fully disclosed in advance to Tournament officials. If a player has a stake in a horse in a race included in the Tournament, the player is not allowed to bet in that race.
13. TAXES: Liability for any and all federal, state, and local taxes is solely the responsibility of prize winners.
14. AFFIDAVITS: Affidavits confirming compliance of all the rules of this Tournament will be required of all players. All prize winners acknowledge that if they enter this Tournament under a fraudulent name and/or Social Security number, they will be immediately disqualified from this and all future Tournaments held by TAMPA BAY DOWNS. Positive identification is required of all prize winners. Positive identification is a valid government-issued ID with a picture and the same address and birth date used on the entry forms, and/or such other form of identification as deemed adequate by contest officials. Social Security information is also the responsibility of the player. Contestants shall play a maximum of two entries. Collusion of entries between horseplayers is prohibited, as is any attempt to manipulate the results of the tournament.
15. JUDGING AND DISPUTES: The management of TAMPA BAY DOWNS reserves the right to interpret all questions and conditions in regard to this tournament, without claim for damages or recourse of any kind. The management of TAMPA BAY DOWNS will decide all questions and definitions covered and not covered explicitly in these rules and their decisions shall be final.
Photos courtesy of Tampa Bay Downs
