MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2026

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.     ARCI Model Rules Meeting 

                                               Open to the public. Registration required.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   ARCI Board meeting (Members Only)

12:00 p.m.                         RGCS Registration Opens

Welcome and Opening Remarks: Patrick Brown, Conference Owner, Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Brown Weinraub, PLLC  

2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.        Integrity, Horse Welfare, and the Human Element in Racing   

Horse racing extends far beyond the finish line. Its long-term viability depends on safeguarding both equine athletes and the workforce that supports them. This panel will explore the full lifecycle of racing – from backstretch labor conditions and employment practices to aftercare and retirement programs for horses. Panelists will examine emerging best practices in animal welfare, evolving labor standards, and the regulatory frameworks shaping the industry. The discussion will also address how transparency and accountability are critical to maintaining public trust in a sport that is under increasing scrutiny from fans, regulators, and wagering stakeholders. 

Moderator:  Chris Wittstruck, Equine Attorney, Standardbred Owners’ Association of New York  

Speakers:

TBD 

2:50 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.        Horse Racing and Regulatory Modernization/HISA update 

Three years after a wave of regulatory modernization efforts across U.S. racing jurisdictions, this panel convenes regulators, industry stakeholders, and policy experts to assess outcomes, identify gaps, and outline next steps. With the implementation of uniform medication standards, evolving integrity protocols, and expanded federal-state coordination, the discussion will focus on what has worked, what has not, and where further alignment is required.

Panelists will examine the impact of recent reforms on racing operations, enforcement consistency, stakeholder confidence, and bettor engagement. The conversation will also address data-sharing practices, adjudication timelines, and the role of centralized oversight in a traditionally state-driven framework. 

Moderator:  Danielle D. Holmes, Partner, Hodgson Russ  

Speakers:

TBD

3:40 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.      Networking Break

4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.        Prediction Markets: Innovation, Existential Threat, or Both?   

Prediction markets are rapidly emerging at the intersection of finance, technology, and gaming – raising fundamental questions for lawmakers and industry leaders. Who has regulatory authority – the states, the federal government, or both – and how might existing frameworks adapt? 

This panel will examine whether prediction markets represent constructive market innovation or a challenge to established state gaming regimes. Panelists will explore key legal and policy issues, including federal preemption, the potential application of existing gaming statutes, AML/KYC considerations in crypto-enabled environments, and the broader implications for the social and economic role of sports wagering. The discussion will focus on the evolving regulatory landscape and the competing frameworks now taking shape across jurisdictions.  

Moderator:  Kim Copp, Partner, Taft Law Firm  

Speakers:

TBD 

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.      Welcome Reception at the Adelphi Hotel

7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.      Continental Breakfast

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.      Registration

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.      Opening Address by Patrick Brown, Conference Organizer, 

                                              Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Brown Weinraub, PLLC  

                                           Call to the Races by the NYRA Bugler

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.    Downstate Casinos and the Future of Gaming in the Northeast   

With three full-scale downstate casino licenses on the horizon, New York is poised to reshape the gaming landscape of the Northeast. As New York City prepares to introduce integrated resort-style casinos, policymakers and industry leaders face a defining question: does this expansion mark the beginning of a new era – or the culmination of large-scale brick-and-mortar development? 

This forward-looking panel will examine the long-term implications of downstate casino development on New York’s gaming ecosystem and the broader regional market. Panelists will discuss how horse racing fits into this evolving environment, including the modernization of Belmont Park and NYRA’s ongoing capital investments. The discussion will also address the balance between cannibalization and regional growth, with particular attention to impacts on Saratoga, the Catskills, and other upstate venues, as well as competitive effects across the Northeast corridor, including Atlantic City and neighboring jurisdictions. 

Moderator: Patrick Brown, Saratoga Racing and Gaming Conference Organizer; Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Brown Weinraub, PLLC 

Speakers:

TBD

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.   Prop Bets, Point Shaving, and the Hunt for a “Square Game”   

As sports betting evolves beyond traditional win-loss wagers, the rise of prop bets and micro-markets has introduced new challenges for game integrity. These increasingly granular betting opportunities raise difficult questions about how to distinguish ordinary variance from deliberate manipulation.  This panel will examine the risks posed by modern wagering products, including the detection and prevention of point shaving and other forms of misconduct. Panelists will explore the tools available to regulators and operators to identify suspicious activity, the limits of current monitoring systems, and the legal frameworks governing enforcement.  

Moderator:  Brad Fischer, Of Counsel, Orrick  

Speakers:

TBD 

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.     Networking Break

11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.     iGaming: Inevitable Innovation or Passing Fancy?  

Is momentum building or fading for online casino legalization across key U.S. jurisdictions? 2026 has emerged as a pivotal year for iGaming policy in states such as New York and Virginia. This panel will provide a forward-looking analysis of legislative activity, regulatory frameworks, and market implications in states actively shaping the next phase of digital gaming expansion. In addition, how is iGaming meeting its goals or falling short in some of the pioneering states? How can iGaming work more effectively in tandem with casinos?

Moderator:  Rajat Shah, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig 

Speakers:

TBD

12:20 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.     Luncheon

2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.   Stubborn Optimism: The Economics of Horse Ownership  

An old racetrack adage advises: “Bet on ’em; don’t feed ’em.” Yet without horse owners willing to invest capital and absorb ongoing expenses, the sport would not exist. So why would anyone enter a business with a consistently documented negative return on investment? This panel examines the financial realities facing small- to mid-level racehorse owners. On the cost side, owners face mounting monthly training bills, rising workers’ compensation premiums, increasing transportation costs, and a host of ancillary expenses that continue to escalate. On the revenue side, purse structures must keep pace just to maintain viability. However, outdated condition books, short fields, unfilled races, and other systemic inefficiencies often limit earning opportunities. Panelists will break down the economics of ownership in practical terms and offer strategies aimed at improving sustainability. 

Moderator:  Karl Sleight, Partner, Lippes Mathias  

Speakers:

TBD 

2:50 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.   Regulation, Competition, and Conflicts in the Modern Gaming Ecosystem  

Today’s gaming landscape is increasingly complex, with state lotteries, keno, VLTs, online courier platforms, racetracks, casinos, and sportsbooks competing for the same consumer dollar. At the same time, regulatory bodies – often including lottery boards, racing commissions, and state gaming authorities – sometimes play dual roles as both market participants and overseers, raising important questions about structure, accountability, and independence. This panel will examine how regulatory frameworks can be designed to promote integrity, minimize conflicts of interest, and ensure fair competition across overlapping gaming sectors. Panelists will explore governance models, enforcement challenges, and the balance between revenue generation and oversight. 

Moderator:  Josh Oppenheimer, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig 

Speakers:

TBD

3:40 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.      Networking Break

4:10 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.       HHR and other short-form betting games: Leveraging Horse Racing content beyond the traditional format 

With hundreds of horse races run daily, the sport provides 24/7 short-form betting opportunities. Operators have found alternative ways to leverage horse racing content to create games that appeal to audiences not currently engaged with the sport. 

Since 2000, the racing industry has benefited from Historic Horse Racing (HHR). As HHR continues to expand across key jurisdictions, it has become both a critical revenue driver for the racing industry and a focal point for legislative and legal scrutiny. More recently, live races are being used to create reveal games that depend on the outcomes of pari-mutuel b-pools. In another instance, racing is being formatted to appeal to the fantasy sports audience. This panel will examine HHR and other games using horse racing content and their evolving roles in funding purses, supporting racetrack viability, while competing with casinos and sportsbooks, and addressing the mounting regulatory, legal, and political challenges shaping its future.

Moderator:  Michele Fischer, Vice President, SIS 

Speakers:

TBD

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.      The Finish Line Happy Hour (Saratoga Hilton)

7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.     Registration

7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.      Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.      Opening Address

9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.       A Conversation with Steve Kornacki:  

Is American horse racing consolidating back into a “Sport of Kings,” dominated by a narrow group of owners, trainers, and high-volume bettors? This data-driven session will examine whether participation and success at the highest levels of the sport are increasingly concentrated – and what that means for its long-term health. Join political data analyst and racing enthusiast Steve Kornacki for a numbers-focused conversation that applies rigorous analytical methods to the racing industry. Drawing on trends in ownership, training, wagering, and breeding, Mr. Kornacki will move beyond anecdote to assess how the sport has evolved over the past decade. The conversation will explore ownership concentration in major races, the dominance of top trainers in purse earnings and graded stakes, and the economics of wagering, including whether handle is increasingly driven by a small cohort of sophisticated bettors with access to supercomputing. The discussion will address a central policy question: If racing is consolidating at the top, what reforms or innovations might broaden access and sustain competitiveness?  

Moderator:  Patrick Brown, Conference Co-Producer, Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Brown Weinraub, PLLC   

9:50 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.  Networking Break

10:20 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.  The Casual Bettor, the Consistent Bettor, and the Computer Assisted Bettor: Can They Coexist? 

As wagering technology advances, the modern betting ecosystem is increasingly shaped by algorithmic strategies, automation, and high-volume play. Computer-assisted wagering (CAW) teams, or as they refer to themselves, advantage players, can identify and exploit pricing inefficiencies at speeds and scales far beyond the reach of casual bettors. In an endeavor that has always rewarded superior information, are “advantage wagers” simply the next natural iteration of ‘smart money’ winning. Or are CAWs so fundamentally different that they raise questions about fairness, access, and market structure. This panel will examine how automation, pool dynamics, and information asymmetries are transforming pari-mutuel wagering. Panelists will explore the impact of large, data-driven bets on pool volatility and pricing, as well as the growing role of proprietary data and analytics in shaping outcomes. The discussion is intended neither to demonize nor glorify CAWs, but to explore objectively the simple question: is there any room left for the average horse player? 

Moderator:  Marc H. Rubinstein, Partner, Reid Rubinstein Bogatz  

Speakers:

TBD

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   A Bet Is a Bet … Or Is It?  

Since the earliest days of regulation, lawyers and innovators alike have persuaded legislators, regulators, and courts that activities that look and feel like gambling are, in fact, something else entirely. Statutory language has been parsed to the breaking point, while technological innovation has consistently outpaced the regulator’s pen. Horse racing and traditional gaming now face mounting competition from products that walk, talk, and monetize like gambling – yet operate outside its regulatory framework. Prediction markets, sweepstakes models, so-called “skill games,” lottery-based slot analogues, and even slot-style horse racing products all raise the same fundamental question: when is a bet not a bet? 

This panel will examine pivotal examples where pushing statutory and regulatory boundaries has created billion-dollar industries:  Daily Fantasy Sports and Prediction Markets.

Moderator:    Bennett Liebman, Government Lawyer in Residence at Albany Law School and adjunct professor of law  

Speakers:

TBD

12:00 p.m.      The Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga concludes.

                        Attendees are encouraged to attend "A Day at the Races" at Saratoga    

                        Race Course (1:00 pm post time).       

NOTE:  Attendees can use the Saratoga Summer Trolley for transportation to and from the Race Course. The Trolley has a pick-up location in front of the Saratoga Hilton. The Trolley schedule can be found here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Note: Agenda subject to change

CLE info for the 2026 Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga - coming soon