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Rolling In It: Most Profitable Racehorse

Published

5 years ago

February 26, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Leading race horses earned £126,093 on average per minute in 2020
Top 20 earning thoroughbreds took just 11.05 minutes to surpass the £1 million-mark last year
Arrogate remains the all-time leading earner with £12,718,498.00 prize money, or £635,924.90 per minute
2020’s top 20 horses passed the £1million-barrier 65.42% quicker than sport’s top earning athletes
Authentic picked up £402,623.08 for every 60 seconds raced last year, more than Cristiano Ronaldo (£18,782.16) and Lionel Messi (£19,926.51)

Horse racing’s class of 2020 pocketed £126,093.67 per minute of action, a new study into the value of racehorses has revealed.

The top 20 earning racehorses last year took 11.05 minutes of racing, on average, to break the £1 million-barrier, 59.56% quicker than global sports’ top earning athletes, across the same 12-month period.

However American great Arrogate still tops the all-time charts, having banked £1 million for every 1.57 minutes raced.

Exactly half of last year’s leading thoroughbreds pocketed six-figure sums for a mere 60 seconds’ work, according to OLBG’s Most Profitable Racehorse report.

Arrogate, bought by Juddmonte Farm for a meagre £408,000.00, landed three of the planet’s richest races within the space of four months, amassing as yet insurmountable career earnings of £12,718,498.00; £462,490.84 per minute on the dirt. The Breeders’ Cup Classic netted his camp £2.24 million, the Pegasus World Cup £5.69m and the Dubai World Cup £4.88m.

The Bob Baffert-trained phenom won on seven occasions in total, earning more than his keep in just 20 minutes.

That ‘time to £1 million’ figure dropped to 5.66 minutes, when you assess the financial vitals of the top 20 earning racehorses of all time. This elite group earned an aggregated £160,446,327.70 across collective careers comprising 229 starts, and a win percentage of 52, to boot.

The stats for the class of 2020 are quite remarkable too, with a combined 69 wins from 117 starts; landing each of their respective owners a sizable share of £23,847,336.32.

There are some exceptionally wealthy racehorses out there, or there would be if they got to keep the cash.

Recently retired Authentic, the sport’s top earner in 2020, added a further £402,623.08 to his owners’ coffers for every single minute he ran.

Winner of the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, setting a new track record at Keeneland in the latter, he took home a cool £5,234,100.00, in just seven starts and recently began his stud career in central Kentucky, having retired last November.

That comes against the backdrop of prize purses for the top 10 most expensive horse races on the planet surpassing the £50 million-mark for the first time in 2020, the collective fund up 28.74% year-on-year.

Disappointingly, but understandably due to the pandemic, the cumulative total prize money available for the 489 races staged across the world last year finished at £322,187,199.00, down 19.09% from 2019 (£398,218,061.00), with the available funds in Europe taking the biggest hit, falling by a jaw-dropping 58.82% year-on-year.

Across the rest of the sporting world, Cristiano Ronaldo, who plys his trade in Serie A for Juventus, cleared £76,650,000.00 through salary, bonuses and endorsements in 2020, banking £18,782.16 per minute in the 2019-20 season, 60.08% less than 18th-ranked horse Mr Freeze (£34,911.89).

Footballers Messi (£19,926.51) Neymar (£29,218.36), Basketball’s Le Bron James (£27,774.14) and F1’s Lewis Hamilton (£26,384.38) also failed to trouble Mr Freeze, purchased in 2016 for £54,750, in the earnings per minute stakes, based on 2020 income.

Tyson Fury meanwhile was the most lucrative earner. Despite fighting just once last year he averaged £2,117,557.25 per minute – 248% more than the next highest earner which was Irish racehorse Tarnawa, who also only competed once.

Commenting on the findings, OLBG’s Richard Moffat said: “We’ve always known about the huge sums of money involved in racing horses, both on the betting exchanges and the business side of it too, but to see the figures in black and white and compare what racehorses earned versus sport stars really does make you sit up and take notice.

“It’s the fine margins between winning and losing, and the colossal financial incentives on offer, that add to the drama and intrigue of the sport. It also gives you a feel for why major bloodstock operations such as Godolphin, Zayat, Juddmonte, to name but a few, exist and take the creation of future leading thoroughbreds so seriously.

“When you microanalyse it to the point where Authentic earned £402,623.08 for every 60 seconds’ work in 2020, the lucrativeness of the sport is plain to see.”

Awards

Esportes Gaming Brasil takes two ClienteSA Awards 2026 wins; exec named Personality of the Year

Published

2 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

esportes-gaming-brasil-takes-two-clientesa-awards-2026-wins;-exec-named-personality-of-the-year

Esportes Gaming Brasil (EGB), the group behind the Esportes da Sorte, Onabet and Lottu brands, has won Gold and Silver at the ClienteSA Awards 2026, held during the ClienteSA X-Summit 2026.

EGB said it won Gold in the Customer Success category for its case study, “Customer Success through Responsible Gaming and Intelligent Monitoring”, and Silver in the Customer Service Operations category for its case study, “From Startup to Maturity”.

Maria Neves, Director of Customer Experience, Customer Support and Reputation Channels, was also named Personality of the Year, an award that recognises leaders in customer experience management in Brazil. “This recognition validates the work of many people, built through listening, team development and a commitment to delivering the best possible customer experience. In a constantly evolving market, putting the customer at the centre of every decision is fundamental to the way we operate,” Neves said.

EGB executives also took part in the summit programme. Neves moderated a panel titled “Responsible Gaming as Part of the Customer Experience Journey,” featuring Carol Luna, Head of Compliance at the company, and Ricardo Magri, co-founder of the Brazilian Support Company for Compulsive Gambling (EBAC), which EGB described as a partner organisation.

During the session, the panellists discussed Brazil’s regulated betting market and how customer service, compliance and responsible gaming processes are being positioned as part of a safer customer journey. EGB highlighted initiatives including specialist support teams trained to identify signs of customer vulnerability, self-exclusion tools, platform usage limits and referral processes to specialist partner organisations.

The post Esportes Gaming Brasil takes two ClienteSA Awards 2026 wins; exec named Personality of the Year appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

business development

Games Valley names Robert Dowling Chief Revenue Officer

Published

2 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

games-valley-names-robert-dowling-chief-revenue-officer

Games Valley has appointed Robert Dowling as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective July 15, 2026. The company said Dowling is joining full-time after working with Games Valley as a strategic consultant since the beginning of 2026.

In the CRO role, Dowling will lead Games Valley’s global commercial and marketing operations, including sales, strategic partnerships and revenue growth. The company said he will also support its expansion into regulated markets alongside the executive team.

Dowling has more than a decade of iGaming experience and has held senior commercial roles at technology providers including Ganapati, Singular and EveryMatrix.

Ariel Reem, CEO of Games Valley, said: “Robert has already made a significant impact on our business over the past six months. His strategic mindset, commercial expertise and deep understanding of the industry have helped strengthen our growth plans, making this a natural next step. We’re delighted to welcome him to the executive team as Chief Revenue Officer as we continue building one of the industry’s most modern aggregation platforms. As we continue expanding into regulated markets, Robert’s experience and commercial leadership will be instrumental in helping us achieve our long-term ambitions.”

Robert Dowling, CRO at Games Valley, added: “Working with Games Valley over the past few months has confirmed what I believed from day one, that this is a company with a clear vision, exceptional technology and an ambitious team. The platform has been built to solve real challenges for operators, while giving suppliers faster and more effective routes to market. I’m excited to officially join the business and help drive the next phase of growth as we continue expanding our global footprint and bringing our platform to more regulated markets.”

The post Games Valley names Robert Dowling Chief Revenue Officer appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Acquisitions/Merger

Merkur Group agrees acquisition of White Hat Studios

Published

2 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

merkur-group-agrees-acquisition-of-white-hat-studios

Merkur Group has agreed to acquire U.S. slots provider White Hat Studios, as the company moves to expand its operations in the regulated U.S. iGaming market. The agreement was announced Wednesday 15th July 2026 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Merkur said the acquisition will support its U.S. expansion and complements its recent acquisition of Gaming Arts, the Nevada-licensed game and machine supplier. The group said it intends to use a combined portfolio spanning online-first and omni-channel games to support operator partners’ growth plans.

White Hat Studios launched in 2021 and the company said it was the first to launch online slots across all seven regulated states. Its portfolio includes the ‘House of Brands’ slot collection, the 7s Fire Blitz game series, and the Jackpot Royale progressive network.

Andy Whitworth, President of White Hat Studios, said: “Joining Merkur Group is an exciting moment for everyone associated with White Hat Studios and, fundamentally, it is the best possible move to realise our ambitions for future growth and product innovation. Working alongside the hugely experienced Merkur team will open new possibilities for us across iGaming and enhance our ability to develop a world-class omni-channel proposition that will benefit both operators and players.”

Lars Felderhoff, Chairman of the Merkur Management Board, commented: “White Hat Studios has delivered impressive growth since its launch. We look forward to working with the team to continue the U.S. success story and, in turn, Merkur’s expansion in regulated iGaming.” Michael Gauselmann, Chairman of the Merkur Supervisory Board, added: “Having made early inroads into the online space in Europe via our Blueprint acquisition in 2012, I am delighted by this latest development and am confident that White Hat Studios will be a great addition to our group.”

Merkur said the White Hat Gaming platform and white label businesses are not part of the transaction and will remain under their current ownership. White Hat Studios was advised by Oakvale Capital, with legal advisors CMS for White Hat Studios and Wiggin for Merkur.

The post Merkur Group agrees acquisition of White Hat Studios appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.