Happy New Year? Not for Texas thoroughbred racing, at least not according to the betting numbers that came out of the first weekend of Sam Houston Race Park’s thirtieth season. The Houston track opened its three-month, 43-date thoroughbred meet on January 6, with a total betting handle of $131,419, according to Equibase, a website that compiles nationwide racetrack data… Last year’s opening day produced a handle of $3,332,147.

Betting numbers fell so dramatically this year because last summer, the Texas Racing Commission prohibited state racetracks from exporting their thoroughbred simulcast signals to betting venues in other states. That’s how tracks across the country collect the vast majority of their wagering revenues, rather than from on-site patrons.