Horse racing in Venezuela hit by crime

The wave of violent crime that has made Venezuela one of the world’s deadliest places has now caught up with horse racing, amid growing concerns about attempted race-fixing by well-organized illegal gambling rings. One gang even poisoned one of the country's most popular race horses — Rio Negro — ahead of a key derby the 4-year-old was heavily favored to win, nearly killing the animal. Rio Negro is now kept in a dark, cold stable that looks more like a prison with iron bars and security cameras to ward off intruders. Authorities later arrested nine people in the case, among them former police officers and a horse owner linked to betting rings. Violence has so encroached the sport that jockeys have been threatened and even kidnapped.

Gambling on horse races is legal in Venezuela, but the government tightly controls betting at the country's four racetracks and 1,200 off-track betting houses. Illegal gambling is driven by the government's limit of about $10 on bets at the black market rate. Last year, the industry handled about $120 million in legal bets, according to the Paris-based International Federation of Horseracing. The Hipicomputo 2000 website, which tracks race results, estimates that illicit betting rings move from 50 to 60 times more money than the legal market. The state-run horse racing agency also says that on any given Sunday the government's take from wagers at the La Rinconada racetrack in Caracas can surpass $3 million.

Associated Press