Jay Johns, of Meridian, Idaho, has officially won the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour. Johns, who has been playing in contests for almost two decades, earned $75,000 for winning the NHC Tour and is eligible for a $5 million bonus if he captures a win at the 2023 NHC March 10-12 at the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas.
“It’s such an honor coming out on top in this yearlong tour against arguably the absolute best handicappers out there. It’s quite a mind challenge on both picking horses and tournament strategy,“ Johns said after learning of his victory. “I finished third last year and was determined to improve on that. I’m just happy I won and a big congrats to all those folks competing with me. They made it difficult and exciting to the very last weekend.”
Johns, the President of IHOP Restaurants (formerly International House of Pancakes), finished the 2022 Tour season with 22,370 points from 34 contests.