Dennis Drazin of Monmouth Park Racetrack will be the third gaming industry notable to be inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame.
Drazin will join former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Las Vegas bookmaking legend Art Manteris in the latest Hall of Fame class, which is curated by SBC (Sports Betting Community).
“In an industry that isn’t shy of them, Dennis is a tenacious character,” SBC Community Director Sue Schneider said. “He played a key part in getting sports betting legalised in New Jersey. He’s definitely earned his berth in the Hall of Fame.”
Drazin has a long association with horse racing in the state of New Jersey over the last five decades, first as a fan, then as a racehorse owner, and currently as the CEO of Darby Development, the operator of Monmouth Park.
An advisor since the 1990s to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Drazin also became chairman of the New Jersey Racing Commission in 2009.
In 2012 he took the reins at Monmouth Park, a move that saw him billed as the racetrack’s savior. The venue entered New Jersey history when it took the first legal sports wager by Governor Phil Murphy on June 14, 2018.
“Horseracing and betting have been a big part of my life ever since my dad brought me to the races in the 1960s,” Drazin said. “It’s fantastic to be recognised by my peers for something I enjoy doing so much.”
The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held April 25 at the Sky Room in Manhattan, as part of the closing party of the Betting on Sports America conference The conference will be held April 23-25 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey.
The purpose of the Hall of Fame, first established by SBC in 2016, is to honour, preserve and perpetuate the names and outstanding accomplishments of personalities who have added true value to the sports betting sector.
Current Hall of Famers are Mark Blandford, Carsten Koerl, Howard Chisholm, Paris Smith, Fred Done, Vigen Badalyan, Pontus Lindwall, Fabio Schiavolin, Warwick Bartlett, Norbert Teufelberger, Constantinos Antonopoulos, Art Manteris, and Chris Christie.
