Arfa Daily wrote:

snip
So there is no 'official' (legal?) way to place a bet on a horse race ? If
that's the case, what is the point of having the races there ? How does
anyone make any money from them ?

Ever see the movie "The Sting?" The popular perception of a bookie in the
U.S. is much like that depicted in the off-track betting operation setup
in that movie and countless others of similar style from the 1930's onward.
Sleazy, mob connections, etc.

Michael