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since we were the dominant leader in the handicapping world. Our goal was to keep our customers and offer one-stop shopping to them, so we started developing our own ADW platform in 1998. Thanks to Amtote president Ted Mudge, who put together a partnership with his tote company; longtime Amtote racetrack customer Beulah Park, who had an established telephone wagering operation in Ohio; and BRIS to create a ADW service called AmericaTab. Naturally when we launched AmericaTab in 2001, most all of our BRIS customers and telephone wagering accounts quickly started using the new computerized platform. AmericaTab became one of the largest U.S.based ADWs in the next five years. Then we started getting calls from companies from all over the world interested in acquiring our business after they recognized the success we had with it. My dad was getting older and was becoming more focused on a Christian-based ministry he founded, and he thought maybe it was time to probably sell the business if the right prospect came along. In late 2006, Churchill Downs announced that they were going to launch an ADW by Kentucky Derby 2007, called Twinspires.com. After a few months, Churchill Downs CEO Bob Evans and his team of Bill Carstanjen and Ted Gay inquired about the possibility of acquiring all of the BRIS companies, including AmericaTab. Churchill Downs was the perfect buyer because they wanted to take the business to the next level and they recognized its huge potential, so the deal closed on June
12, 2007. It was a brilliant acquisition by Churchill Downs. Now almost 10 years later, Twinspires.com is the leading ADW in the industry. Churchill Downs has been an incredible company to work for and they continue to invest heavily in this business. Many of the talented people who helped us launch the ADW are still here today contributing to the Twinspires success, which I am very proud of personally.
What was it like working for your father for over 20 years? My father was a visionary. He was always thinking about the next innovation. He was a workaholic -- 18-hour days -- and tough to work for since he was so demanding. We worked pretty well because we both
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There is nothing more gratifying than to hear Bob Baffert telling me he slept so much better the night before American Pharoah won the Triple Crown after seeing he had a dominant BRIS Prime Power number Happy Broadbent
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complimented each other. While he was thinking about the next best thing, I was in the trenches getting the work done on a daily basis, especially developing the handicapping and ADW businesses. Our number one asset in developing our business over the years was our team; we always have had and still do have some incredible talent. There are so many people in the industry at one time or another who came through BRIS to get an education. To work for him for 21 years and now for 10 years for a great company like Churchill Downs, it has been an incredible ride, especially when you have seen all the technology changes and the introduction of the internet in 1996.
What has been your secret ingredient to success? The key to our success over the years is the added value information we provide to our customers. If you look at when we started the pedigree service or even the ADW, the BRIS data we provide is the backbone to our success. I believe Twinspires is the leader because not only do they have the best platform, they are giving the bettor winning information from Brisnet. No other ADW has been able to give the horseplayer the type of information that helps them win like Twinspires does.
What about customer service, and what gives you customer satisfaction? When you walk around our office in Lexington, you can see that there is a huge emphasis on customer service. ISSUE 43 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM
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