BCBC receives a rules tweak

The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge is back, taking place Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs as well as at simulcast sites around the country.

The contest costs $10,000 to play and is the biggest livebankroll contest in the world, with an estimated prize pool of $1 million. Of that $10,000, $2,500 funds the prize pool, which will be paid back 100 percent to players, and the remaining $7,500 acts as a live bankroll.

The rules have been revamped for the 2018 running, following controversy at last year’s BCBC, where several players were accused of collusion and there was one disqualification.

“Like everything we do around our event, we’re always looking at ways to improve the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and to improve the player experience,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders’ Cup’s senior vice president of development and administration. “With the record entries in this year’s races, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to capitalize.”

As for the specifics of the rules, the tournament races will include all races from Churchill Downs on Friday and races through the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. Players must wager at least $600 on three of the five Breeders’ Cup races on Friday as well as $600 on seven of the nine Saturday Breeders’ Cup races. Wager types permitted are win, place, show, exacta, trifecta and daily double only.

Competitors are allowed to miss one mandatory wager without being disqualified, but they will be penalized $10,000 from their final scores. A second missed mandatory wager will result in disqualification.

One of the most respected people in the contest world, Keeneland’s contest director Jim Goodman, will be assisting with the auditing of this year’s BCBC wagers. Additionally, all plays by all players will be eventually released to the public. Both of these measures are being taken to ensure transparency as well as a level playing field at this year’s BCBC and have won praise from a wide variety of contest players.

Assuming participation of 400 players, the total prize pool will be $1 million, with $300,000 going to first place. Cash prizes and seats to the National Horseplayers’ Championship will be awarded down to 15th place – further down if there are players who are double-qualified or ineligible for the NHC in the top 15. The BCBC winner will be eligible for a $3 million bonus should he or she go on to win the NHC.

Players can play directly from Churchill Downs or via simulcast at Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park, or Santa Anita. There also is the opportunity to play online through participating account-wagering partners. For more information, go to www.breederscup.com/bcbc.