TECHNOLOGY CHRIMS means consolidation Comprehensive Horse Racing Information Management Systems makes tedious bookkeeping tasks easier by Bob Ehalt ford not to use it.” CHRIMS customers seem to have EVERY DAY millions of dollars are an equally positive view of the sys- wagered at racetracks across the tem. country. Association Treasurer At some, such as Churchill Downs Jessica Green has been delighted on Breeders’ Cup World Champi- with the impact CHRIMS has made onships day, more than $140-million on her department since it was in- can pour in like a tidal wave into the troduced in 2001. betting pools. “It saves us so much work and has As incredible as that kind of wa- allowed us to expand our database gering can be for a racetrack’s bot- of information,” Green said. “Before, tom-line finances, imagine if you had all we had were settlement reports. to keep track of every penny of that Now we know how much is bet on gargantuan handle. each race and in each pool, which You forgot what you did with the lets us do a better job of analyzing five exacta tickets you thought you the wagering and that leads to mak- placed in your wallet? Well, consider ing better decisions. CHRIMS started having to break down and account out as just a settlement system for for that $140-million, knowing it us, but it’s been much more than comes from a wide variety of locales that.” where takeout and taxes are differ- In an attempt to make the system ent. even more valuable, Lind will be work- Who owes what to whom? ing with InCompass and Equibase In racing these can be three to add specific details about each race very perplexing Ws. to the report. Unless you have CHRIMS. Targeted for a launch in the sec- At California racetracks ond half of 2007, this feature would and Eastern venues such as allow track officials to document how Keeneland Race Course, much is being bet on allowance races, Photos by Z CHRIMS has turned a te- sprints, turf races, or stakes races dious task such as book- JOB MADE EASIER with just a few mouse clicks. keeping into a more efficient The California-based Comprehensive Horse Racing Information “I’m not sure if everyone knows and beneficial process. Management Systems makes it easier for racetrack about what we’re doing and what Officially called the Com- bookkeepers to track the amount of money that flows into we’re planning to do,” Lind said. prehensive Horse Racing In- wagering pools, particularly on high-volume betting days such “That’s why we linked up with In- formation Management as the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which generated Compass—so that we could get the Systems, CHRIMS has been more than $140-million in wagering this year word out and show that there is an a part of rac- alternative to what they are doing ing’s landscape for nearly 13 now. years. Since 2000, every pari-mutuel forces in December 2005 with dle, takeout, and breakage; “Getting all the information can be “We’re not looking to eliminate facility in California has relied on InCompass. A wholly owned sub- • Commingled import and export a problem,” Haydon said, “but jobs. We’re just trying to make them CHRIMS for consolidated wagering sidiary of the Jockey Club, InCom- settlement reports, detailing money- CHRIMS tracks it down. They do a easier and allow people to focus on information. pass brings a new level of marketing room shifts, host fees, and the net lot of quality control while people are tasks that are much more useful than Instead of having to log and cal- to a product that seems indispens- for the track’s races. In the simulcast sleeping. All the information is sliced entering data.” culate data on their own, tracks can able in many ways. era, the money-room shift is espe- and diced and ready for them to down- That is regardless of whether they let CHRIMS handle such time- “CHRIMS has been hindered by cially important because it balances load.” are handling $140 or $140-million. consuming jobs as figuring out the perception that it is just a Cali- how much an off-track site took in money-room shifts, simulcast fees, fornia company,” said David Haydon, and paid out on races at a particular Cost effective ______taxes, and workers’ compensation president of InCompass. “It’s more track; Those features, and more, under- payments. than that.” • An invoice export function that score why Haydon believes the cost Bob Ehalt covers racing for All an individual in the financial Haydon knows from personal ex- prints invoices for simulcast fees and of the system should not be a factor the Stamford, Connecticut, department has to do is turn on the perience about the virtues of money-room shifts so that bills can in deciding whether to use it. Advocate. His e-mail address computer in the morning and he or CHRIMS. While previously an ex- be sent out quicker; “CHRIMS can pay for itself,” Hay- is [email protected]. she will have access to all the vital ecutive of Equibase Co., Haydon in- • A handle-by-division feature that don said. “Actually, you can’t af- ______data from the previous day’s wager- vestigated bookkeeping systems for breaks down wagering at specific lo- ing. the racing industry, looking to de- cations around the racetrack; and Even someone who flunked third- velop a new one. When he learned • An average pool statement, show- grade math can do that. about CHRIMS, he stopped faster ing details on how much is wagered “CHRIMS is a huge help in get- than a short-winded claimer in the into the various pools for each race. WEBSITES TO VISIT ting every detail of information and (G1). “CHRIMS helps solve cash-flow reconciling bills,” said Jenny Lind, “Rather than reinvent the wheel, problems because you get the set- The Symposium on Racing and Gaming website president and general manager of when we saw what CHRIMS could tlement report so quickly,” Haydon www.ag.arizona.edu/rtip/Symposium/ do, we reached out to them,” Hay- said. “You don’t want someone else California-based CHRIMS Inc. “Each Symposiuminfo.html morning you will see sets of num- don said. “We knew their approach using your money, and CHRIMS gets bers that match. From an account- was similar to ours at Equibase in you the information you need less Each year, the University of ing standpoint, the best part of the using a central database and believ- than 24 hours after the races are Arizona Race Track Industry system is that it takes away the need ing in good customer services and over.” Program offers one of the in- to enter data, and it lets you manage technical support. Getting together “The system can tell you how much dustry’s best forums blending innovative ideas and lively discussions. your time better. with CHRIMS was a good marriage.” is wagered in the clubhouse restau- This year’s December 4-7 Symposium on Racing and Gaming at the “Without CHRIMS, data has to be As part of showcasing CHRIMS’s rant or the top floor of the grand- Westin La Paloma Resort promises to be no exception. entered through a spreadsheet. This capabilities, Haydon said the system stand, and it tells how much they are The website provides information about exhibitors and sponsors as takes away that inefficiency.” will be on display during the Uni- putting into each of the pools,” Lind well as transcripts and details about the Race Track Industry Program, versity of Arizona Race Track In- said. “You can find out how people such as curriculum and its alumni. For those heading to the sunny and Limited distribution dustry Program’s Symposium on are wagering.” warm Southwest from the Northeast, you can also switch from talk of As familiar as California racing ex- Racing and Gaming on December 4- As automated as the system might turf courses to fairways and greens and use the website to register for ecutives may be with CHRIMS, the 7 in Tucson. seem, there is a human element to the Tucson Cup Golf Tournament. system has yet to be embraced with “Hopefully, there will be some peo- it, as well. ple there who are involved in ac- While a computer may break down the same widespread enthusiasm Television Games Network on MySpace counting and can see how powerful the numbers, sometimes humans east of the Mississippi River. www.myspace.com/tvgnetwork Outside the West Coast, only and efficient these tools are,” Hay- play a role in slowing down the re- Television Games Network has launched a horse racing site Keeneland, , Tampa don said. porting of a day’s figure. If, for on the social networking site MySpace.com. TVG launched the Bay Downs, and the Red Mile, a Lex- What new customers will see is a example, someone at a simulcast page to make it easier for racing fans to exchange thoughts, ington Standardbred track, employ package that features a plethora of center forgets to transmit the data, make multimedia postings, learn more about the sport, and it. bells and whistles. Among the re- CHRIMS’s staff will make the phone access information from TVG personalities and programming. To help spread the word better ports CHRIMS can provide are: calls necessary to resolve the prob- about what it offers, CHRIMS joined • An audit check that shows han- lem.

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