A class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Friday, October 24, 2025, alleging collusion and a scheme to defraud bettors. Named in the suit are the Stronach Group, the current and former owner of racetracks in Maryland, and AmTote International, a subsidiary of the Stronach Group that acts as a clearinghouse of data for wagering pools at racetracks.
Also named are Churchill Downs; the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the nonprofit that runs thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks; and United Tote, another data clearinghouse owned by Churchill Downs and NYRA..
The suit is based on the Defendants’ ties to so-called Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) platforms, including the Elite Turf Club, owned 80% by the Stronach Group and 20% by NYRA. The suit alleges that the racetrack owners and operators and their subsidiary data clearinghouses give special treatment to certain bettors using their related CAW platforms to give them an unfair advantage over ordinary bettors, in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Practices Act. (RICO).
The Plaintiff’s lawyers said in a press release:
“We believe this scheme is not a victimless crime. Its victim — the average public bettor — has been caught in a modern reverse-Robinhood scenario in which a select few with inside information are stealing from average public retail bettors and giving to the already rich — a small group of bettors and the operators of racetracks and betting platforms — the wealthy and few.”
The Plaintiff has requested a jury trial and no trial date has been set.