Churchill Downs forms interactive division
Racetrack operator names chief strategy officer Ted Gay as president of Churchill Downs Interactive.
Churchill Downs has announced the formation of Churchill Downs Interactive, while the racetrack operator’s chief strategy officer Ted Gay has been appointed president of the new online arm.
Churchill Downs Interactive will incorporate its online operations including betting website TwinSpires.com and social game site Luckity.com, as well as multimedia poker content, brand and publishing company Bluff Media’s US operations.
The racetrack operator has applied for a service provider licence in Nevada and in July, Gay exclusively told eGR the company was “spending lots of time focusing on poker and egaming”.
In a statement, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) president and COO William Carstanjen said of Gay’s appointment: “Throughout Ted’s tenure with the Company he has played a strong leadership role in the development of CDI’s online strategy and initiatives. He was an essential part of our leadership team in the acquisitions of AmericaTAB [an advance deposit wagering site acquired in 2007] and YouBet.com [acquired in 2009 and merged with TwinSpires.com in 2010].
“He also led the acquisition of Bluff Media and currently oversees its operations. Most recently, Ted has led the strategic thinking behind, and development of, Luckity.com. Ted has developed a deep level of experience and dynamic skill set that makes him the right person to take on this new position and help lead the Company further into the online space,” he added.
TwinSpires.com was launched in 2007 and in the company’s most recent Q2 results, net revenues for the site rose by 13% (US$29.7m) compared to the same quarter last year. Luckity.com is set to launch later this year and will use a sweepstakes model to offer cash prizes.
Bluff Media’s US operations were purchased in February and the Atlanta-based business’s assets include poker publication Bluff Magazine and its website, an online performance tracking and ranking database, blogs and online poker forums, although foreign versions of the magazine such as Bluff Europe were not acquired.
No date has yet been set for the racetrack operator’s Nevada licence hearing.