LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 9, 2019) – The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping tournament, will have a new home beginning in 2020, as the NTRA and Caesars Entertainment have signed a multi-year agreement to move the event to Bally’s Las Vegas. The 21st edition of the NHC, presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s, will be held February 7-9, 2020.
Bally’s, which completed a $125 million renovation in 2018, previously hosted the NHC from 2003-2007.
“Caesars Entertainment is a world-wide leader in gaming, entertainment and customer service. We look forward to working with them as we return the NHC to the newly renovated Bally’s in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip,” said Keith Chamblin, Chief Operating Officer of the NTRA and NHC Tournament Director.
The 2020 NHC will take place in the Bally’s Events Center, a 40,000 square foot space that will nearly double the NHC’s footprint while being transitioned into the world’s largest race book.
“The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship is the premiere handicapping tournament in all of thoroughbred racing. We look forward to hosting this tournament at Bally’s Las Vegas inside our world-class Events Center, along with showcasing our recently renovated room product,” said Jim Korona, Vice President of Casino Marketing with Caesars Entertainment.
This past February’s NHC, the second-richest in the event’s history with purses and prizes totaling $2,863,000, was won by 34-year-old Scott Coles, a financial manager from Chicago, Ill. Coles bested 668 entries in the three-day contest.
Bally’s Las Vegas
Bally’s Las Vegas is located on the center of the world-renowned Las Vegas Strip, across from Caesars Palace and next to Paris Las Vegas. The 44-acre resort consists of two 26-story hotel towers including the Jubilee Tower and offers more than 2,800 guestrooms, including 244 suites. Bally’s Las Vegas features highly acclaimed restaurants including BLT Steak and Sea Thai, as well as the famous Sterling Brunch, a relaxing pool oasis, a lavish spa and casino space featuring a poker room, 1,500 slot machines and a first-class Race & Sports Book known for its stadium-style seating and abundance of high-definition television screens. Nitro Circus Theater will house the first-ever Nitro Circus stage show featuring spectacular feats and unbelievable stunts in an intimate theater setting. Bally’s Las Vegas is operated by a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR). For more information, please visit ballyslasvegas.com or the Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas media room. Find Bally’s Las Vegas on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram.
About Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Caesars Entertainment is the world’s most diversified casino-entertainment provider and the most geographically diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, in 1937, Caesars Entertainment has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions. Caesars Entertainment’s resorts operate primarily under the Caesars®, Harrah’s® and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars Entertainment’s portfolio also includes the Caesars Entertainment UK family of casinos. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Caesars Entertainment is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com/corporate.
About the NHC
The NHC is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. There are no bye-ins to the NHC. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards. For more information on the NHC, visit NTRA.com/nhc.
About the NTRA
The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).
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