TVG apologises after Kentucky Derby sports wagering outage
Flutter-owned horseracing betting brand blames third-party providers as users express frustration on social media
US-based horseracing betting brand TVG has apologised after a major technical failure affecting its advance deposit wagering platform left users unable to place bets during the Kentucky Derby.
The outage took place on May 7, between 3-4pm ET, with customers using the TVG app receiving “bad connection” messages, as well as account balances incorrectly showing as zero, despite funds being present in accounts.
Users took to social media to express their frustration at the failure of the app, which occurred during one of the busiest festivals for horseracing in the US.
I’m not one to get involved in politics… However this outage that TVG had on our Christmas is unacceptable with today’s technology. Last night I wrote an email to @GovMurphy and one of the senator and the NJ racing commission.
— Augustus@kyle (@Augustuskyle12) May 9, 2022
TVG’s app is usually outstanding. Bad day for an outage…lots of money lost. Fortunately, probably means I’ll save some money b/c I haven’t followed the ponies at all this year.
— Anthony Malakian (@A_Malakian) May 7, 2022
Biggest loser from the @tvg outage was @tvg as 99% of the Derby bets planning to be placed wouldn’t have included #21…
— TweetleD (@ThruTheBridle) May 10, 2022
It is understood the TVG advanced deposit wagering platform has since resumed operation. In a statement issued on Twitter, the firm acknowledged its downtime, blaming external third-party providers.
“We understand and appreciate that the service interruptions we experienced Saturday were frustrating to many of our valued customers and we will be communicating directly with those affected customers over the course of the coming days,” TVG said.
“TVG takes seriously its place within the racing community and the responsibility it has to deliver the very best fan experience. The issues our app incurred on Saturday did not meet those expectations.
“We have identified the cause, a technical issue related to a third-party service provider, and are actively making changes to our platform to ensure better performance moving forward,” the firm added.
The outage is not the first time TVG has experienced issues during the Kentucky Derby, with a similar outage in 2016 blamed on human error.
TVG operates within the US division of Flutter Entertainment alongside US sportsbook market leader FanDuel Group, which accounts for the lion’s share of the Dublin-headquartered operator’s US revenue.
One of TVG’s biggest competitors is Churchill Downs, which reported a record wagering haul during the festival of $179m, up 15% over 2021 and up 8% from the previous record of $165.5m set in 2019.
Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby Day program totaled $273.8m, a 17% increase over 2021 and up 9% from the previous record of $250.9m in 2019.