Entrepreneur and horse breeder Nelson Clemmens has served as the Owner and CEO of AmWest Entertainment, LLC, headquartered in Prospect, Kentucky, since 2004. The company focuses on Thoroughbred breeding and technology-enhanced wagering and is the parent firm of the AmWager platform. Nelson Clemmens is additionally a member of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA).
In March 2019, the HBPA held its annual convention in Clearwater Beach, Florida. One of the themes of the event was improving data-sharing techniques and practices in the horse-racing industry for the benefit of players.
Horse racing throughout its history has always been a data-driven sector with a statistics-directed betting culture. Fans of few other sports rely so heavily on analyzed information, which encompasses stats on horses, jockeys, courses, weather, and a range of other factors.
Recent research initiatives focused on helping industry professionals improve their decision-making processes were also on the table. Expert speakers pointed out that greater public accessibility of racing-related statistics can serve as a means of checking past performance for bettors, thereby heightening their engagement with and participation in the sport. This data-sharing would likely foster a greater sense of innovation throughout the industry.
A keynote panel at the event elaborated on the topic and discussed a white paper on the use of free racing information put forward by the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. The document makes a number of recommendations directed to the future of the industry, including continuing university private-sector partnerships to better study statistics and to refine data measurement tools.
