Organized gambling on show jumping has been discussed for years, and got some consideration after the FEI World Cup finals first came to betting-centric Las Vegas in 2000. But now it has become reality via several websites, and the U.S. Equestrian Federation is taking it seriously.
It may not seem to be a widespread activity, but there are new platforms for horse show competition that are like fantasy competition for football or basketball.
Lucy Davis, a member of the USA’s medal-winning show jumping team in the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and 2016 Olympics, has developed a site called www.prixview.com, for instance. There are a few other sites out there as well that enable you to wager on certain FEI classes, both in the U.S, and abroad. In last august, the big games include the Global Champions Tour’s London fixture and the Dublin Horse Show. The types of wagering include match-ups and over/under.
PrixView also offers analysis, similar to what EquiRatings does for eventing. Information may be presented on average faults and the knockdowns at the most challenging fences.
A policy adopted by the USEF board that goes into effect Dec. 1 was implemented as a reaction to the growing popularity of fantasy games and betting on equestrian sport. The idea is to mitigate risks that could compromise the integrity and essence of sport.
Under the policy, all competition manipulation is strictly prohibited. Violations include, but are not limited to, a participant in a competition betting money or items of monetary value on the competition; improper use of insider information by participants, whether they use the information themselves or disclose it to an outside person or entity, and giving and/or receiving a benefit in exchange for inside information, whether or not the inside information is actually exchanged.
Other violations include fixing a competition or encouraging another participant to do so or failing to cooperate with a USEF investigation. Those who must comply include not only athletes, but also their support personnel, owner shareholders or interested parties in a horse in a competition officials and volunteers. The FEI also has its own code of conduct in this regard.
Don’t be looking to put your money down on the BetMGM site in New Jersey, however. While you can wager on such relatively obscure sports as table tennis, darts and snooker, a search for show jumping doesn’t yield anything.
The USEF announced this month it is seeking not only to prevent manipulation of the sport as it applies to gambling, but also other types of maneuvering.
Citing instances that “occasionally occur where exhibitors in a class intentionally do not perform the required gaits or movements or purposefully make a mistake (i.e., pick up the wrong lead, break gait, etc.) to ensure they are not placed high on a judge’s card,” it was reported that those situations are occurring more frequently.
The reasons for these activities range from filling a class but not winning so someone else can place higher, or allowing a certain exhibitor to get points. USEF has warned members to refrain from engaging in any activity that deliberately affects the outcome of a competitive effort through willful underperformance.
That is a violation of the USEF’s sportsmanship creed. Violation could result in an official warning, censure, fine, suspension, or other penalties.
While USEF acknowledges willful underperformance can be difficult to definitively identify and is rare, those who witness an obvious, willful, and intentional manipulation of competition should report the incident to USEF by emailing disputes@USEF.org.