The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are:
55-401: The style of racing differs between surfaces, with dirt races tending to have the fastest pace, while turf racing often comes down to a sprint in the stretch. Races on artificial surfaces tend to play out somewhere in between. Anecdotally, American bettors consider dirt racing to be more predictable, which makes it a more popular medium for betting purposes. Weather conditions affect the speed of
110-597: A casino setting. Gambling games that take place outside of casinos include bingo (as played in the US and UK ), dead pool , lotteries , pull-tab games and scratchcards , and Mahjong . Other non-casino gambling games include: *Although coin tossing is not usually played in a casino, it has been known to be an official gambling game in some Australian casinos Fixed-odds betting and Parimutuel betting frequently occur at many types of sporting events, and political elections. In addition many bookmakers offer fixed odds on
165-473: A meta-game regarding the value of a player's collection of pieces. Gambling dates back at least to the Paleolithic period, before written history. In Mesopotamia the earliest six-sided dice date to about 3000 BCE . However, they were based on astragali dating back thousands of years earlier. In China, gambling houses were widespread in the first millennium BCE, and betting on fighting animals
220-679: A device for making marbles, in 1846. Ceramic marbles entered inexpensive mass production in the 1870s. The game has become popular throughout the US and other countries. The first mass-produced toy marbles (clay) made in the US were made in Akron , Ohio, by S. C. Dyke, in the early 1890s. Some of the first US-produced glass marbles were also made in Akron by James Harvey Leighton. In 1903, Martin Frederick Christensen —also of Akron—made
275-662: A gambling contract may not give a casino bona fide purchaser status, permitting the recovery of stolen funds in some situations. In Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd , where a solicitor used stolen funds to gamble at a casino, the House of Lords overruled the High Court's previous verdict, adjudicating that the casino return the stolen funds less those subject to any change of position defence. U.S. Law precedents are somewhat similar. For case law on recovery of gambling losses where
330-404: A horse crossing the finish line, but longer time frames are also common, allowing wagers on the outcome of a future sports contest or even an entire sports season. The term "gaming" in this context typically refers to instances in which the activity has been specifically permitted by law . The two words are not mutually exclusive; i.e. , a "gaming" company offers (legal) "gambling" activities to
385-563: A house bias can quite easily be missed unless the devices are checked carefully. Most jurisdictions that allow gambling require participants to be above a certain age. In some jurisdictions, the gambling age differs depending on the type of gambling. For example, in many American states one must be over 21 to enter a casino, but may buy a lottery ticket after turning 18. Because contracts of insurance have many features in common with wagers, insurance contracts are often distinguished in law as agreements in which either party has an interest in
440-587: A number of non-sports related outcomes, for example the direction and extent of movement of various financial indices , the winner of television competitions such as Big Brother , and election results. Interactive prediction markets also offer trading on these outcomes, with "shares" of results trading on an open market. One of the most widespread forms of gambling involves betting on horse or greyhound racing . Wagering may take place through parimutuel pools, or bookmakers may take bets personally. Parimutuel wagers pay off at prices determined by support in
495-769: A source of destruction in Singalovada Sutra . Professions that are seen to violate the precept against theft include working in the gambling industry. Ancient Hindu poems like the Gambler's Lament and the Mahabharata testify to the existence of gambling among ancient Indians, while highlighting its destructive impact. The text Arthashastra ( c. 4th century BCE ) recommends taxation and control of gambling. Ancient Jewish authorities frowned on gambling, even disqualifying professional gamblers from testifying in court. The Catholic Church holds
550-430: A statement is true or false, or that a specified event will happen (a "back bet") or will not happen (a "lay bet") within a specified time. This occurs in particular when two people have opposing but strongly held views on truth or events. Not only do the parties hope to gain from the bet, they place the bet also to demonstrate their certainty about the issue. Some means of determining the issue at stake must exist. Sometimes
605-457: A variety of games called marbles , as well being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art. They are often collected , both for nostalgia and for their aesthetic colors. Sizes may vary, but usually range from about 0.5 cm to 3.5 cm in diameter. In the North of England the objects and the game are called "taws", with larger taws being called "bottle washers" after
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#1732802072551660-591: Is a consensus among the ‘ Ulema ’ ( Arabic : عُـلـمـاء , Scholars (of Islam )) that gambling is haraam ( Arabic : حَـرام , sinful or forbidden). In assertions made during its prohibition, Muslim jurists describe gambling as being both un- Qur’anic , and as being generally harmful to the Muslim Ummah ( Arabic : أُمَّـة , Community). The Arabic terminology for gambling is Maisir . They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say: 'In them both lies grave sin, though some benefit, to mankind. But their sin
715-464: Is a theoretically risk-free betting system in which every outcome of an event is bet upon so that a known profit will be made by the bettor upon completion of the event regardless of the outcome. Arbitrage betting is a combination of the ancient art of arbitrage trading and gambling, which has been made possible by the large numbers of bookmakers in the marketplace, creating occasional opportunities for arbitrage. One can also bet with another person that
770-543: Is acceptable is a matter of debate: Investments are also usually not considered gambling, although some investments can involve significant risk. Examples of investments include stocks , bonds and real estate . Starting a business can also be considered a form of investment. Investments are generally not considered gambling when they meet the following criteria: Some speculative investment activities are particularly risky, but are sometimes perceived to be different from gambling: A levant or levanting characterises
825-413: Is added to the main batch glass and to additional glass streams that are combined with the main stream in a variety of ways. For example, in the "cat's-eye" style, colored glass veins are injected into a transparent main stream. Applying more expensive colored glass to the surface of cheaper transparent or white glass is also a common technique. Currently, the world's largest manufacturer of playing marbles
880-623: Is more grave than their benefit.' In parts of the world that implement full Shari‘ah, such as Aceh , punishments for Muslim gamblers can range up to 12 lashes or a one-year prison term and a fine for those who provide a venue for such practises. Some Islamic nations prohibit gambling; most other countries regulate it . According to the Most Holy Book , paragraph 155, gambling is forbidden. While almost any game can be played for money, and any game typically played for money can also be played just for fun, some games are generally offered in
935-508: Is reached, and the motivation is entertainment and not personal gain leading to the "love of money" or making a living. In general, Catholic bishops have opposed casino gambling on the grounds that it too often tempts people into problem gambling or addiction, and has particularly negative effects on poor people; they sometimes also cite secondary effects such as increases in loan sharking, prostitution, corruption, and general public immorality. Some parish pastors have also opposed casinos for
990-406: Is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elements to be present: consideration (an amount wagered), risk (chance), and a prize . The outcome of the wager is often immediate, such as a single roll of dice , a spin of a roulette wheel, or
1045-1058: The Christian Reformed Church in North America , the Church of the Lutheran Confession , the Southern Baptist Convention , the Assemblies of God , and the Seventh-day Adventist Church . Other churches that oppose gambling include the Jehovah's Witnesses , The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Iglesia ni Cristo , and the Members Church of God International . There
1100-637: The Ridotto , started operating in 1638 in Venice, Italy. Gambling has been a main recreational activity in Great Britain for centuries. Queen Elizabeth I chartered a lottery that was drawn in 1569. Horseracing has been a favorite theme for over three centuries. It has been heavily regulated. Historically much of the opposition comes from Nonconformist Protestants , and from social reformers. Gambling has been part of Singapore's history, though it
1155-607: The "bet-upon" outcome beyond the specific financial terms; for example, a "bet" with an insurer on whether one's house will burn down is not gambling, but rather insurance , as the homeowner has an obvious interest in the continued existence of the home independent of the purely financial aspects of the "bet" (i.e., the insurance policy). Nonetheless, both insurance and gambling contracts are typically considered aleatory contracts under most legal systems, though they are subject to different types of regulation. Under common law , particularly English Law ( English unjust enrichment ),
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#17328020725511210-478: The United Kingdom and United States is ring taw (or "ringer"), where a ring is drawn on the ground and a number of small marbles placed within it. Players take turns to flick a larger "taw" marble at these marbles, attempting to knock them out of the ring. In kanche (from South Asia), players prepare for the game by standing behind a line and trying to flick their marble towards a designated hole, with
1265-509: The United States by individual artists such as Josh Simpson . Art marbles are usually around 50 millimetres (2.0 in) in diameter (a size also known as a "toe breaker"), but can vary, depending on the artist and the print. Marble players often grow to collect marbles after having outgrown the game. Marbles are categorized by many factors including condition, size, type, manufacturer/ artisan , age, style, materials, scarcity, and
1320-634: The act of absconding following the outcome of a bet. Problem gambling has multiple symptoms. Gamblers often play again to try to win back money they have lost, and some gamble to relieve feelings of helplessness and anxiety. In the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standards Authority has censured several betting firms for advertisements disguised as news articles suggesting falsely that a person had cleared debts and paid for medical expenses by gambling online. The firms face possible fines. A 2020 study of 32 countries found that
1375-713: The additional reason that they would take customers away from church bingo and annual festivals where games such as blackjack , roulette , craps , and poker are used for fundraising. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that gambling should be especially forbidden where the losing bettor is underage or otherwise not able to consent to the transaction. Gambling has often been seen as having social consequences , as satirized by Balzac . For these social and religious reasons, most legal jurisdictions limit gambling, as advocated by Pascal . Gambling views among Protestants vary, with some either discouraging or forbidding their members from participation in gambling. Methodists , in accordance with
1430-413: The amount bet remains nominal, demonstrating the outcome as one of principle rather than of financial importance. Betting exchanges allow consumers to both back and lay at odds of their choice. Similar in some ways to a stock exchange, a bettor may want to back a horse (hoping it will win) or lay a horse (hoping it will lose, effectively acting as bookmaker). Spread betting allows gamblers to wager on
1485-496: The circle, the player with the most marbles wins the game. Similarly, in pili goli (South Asia), the goal of the game is to flick a striking marble in order to knock other marbles laid around the field into holes that have been dug into the ground. The British and World Marbles Championship has been held at Tinsley Green , West Sussex, England, every year since 1932. (Marbles has been played in Tinsley Green and
1540-587: The different surfaces too, and grading systems have been developed to indicate the track condition (known as the "going" in the UK and Ireland ). Turf surfaces are the most affected by changes in the weather, and many turf horses will have a strong preference for a specific type of going. Synthetic surfaces allow racing to take place in bad weather conditions, when it may otherwise be cancelled, and for this reason are sometimes referred to as All Weather surfaces. Manufacturers of synthetic racetrack surface materials promote
1595-750: The doctrine of outward holiness , oppose gambling which they believe is a sin that feeds on greed. Other denominations that discourage gambling are the United Methodist Church , the Free Methodist Church , the Evangelical Wesleyan Church , the Salvation Army , and the Church of the Nazarene . Other Protestants that oppose gambling include Mennonites , Schwarzenau Brethren , Quakers ,
1650-415: The early 20th century, gambling was almost uniformly outlawed throughout the U.S. and thus became a largely illegal activity, helping to spur the growth of the mafia and other criminal organizations . The late 20th century saw a softening in attitudes towards gambling and a relaxation of laws against it. Many jurisdictions, local as well as national, either ban gambling or heavily control it by licensing
1705-523: The existence of original packaging (which is further rated in terms of condition). A marble's worth is primarily determined by type, size, condition and eye-appeal, coupled with the law of supply and demand. Ugly, but rare marbles may be valued as much as those of very fine quality. However, this is the exception, rather than the rule, and normally "condition is king" when it comes to marbles. Any surface damage (characterized by missing glass, such as chips or pits) typically cuts book value by 50% or more. Due to
Track surface - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-455: The fact that synthetic tracks have drainage attributes that are better than natural surfaces. There is also evidence that synthetic surfaces are significantly safer than dirt in terms of equine breakdowns, though there are many variables that come into play. The statistics for North America in 2015 showed 1.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts on synthetic surfaces, 1.22 on grass courses, and 1.78 on dirt tracks. The breakdown rates were down for each of
1815-461: The first championship in 1932 was won by Ellen Geary, a young girl from London. There are various types of marbles, and names vary from locality to locality. Art marbles are high-quality collectible marbles arising out of the art glass movement. They are sometimes referred to as contemporary glass marbles to differentiate them from collectible antique marbles, and are spherical works of art glass. Collectible contemporary marbles are made mostly in
1870-665: The first machine-made glass marbles on his patented machine. His company, M. F. Christensen & Son Co., manufactured millions of toy and industrial glass marbles until they ceased operations in 1917. The next US company to enter the glass marble market was Akro Agate . This company was started by Akronites in 1911, but located in Clarksburg, West Virginia . Today, there is only one American-based toy marble manufacturer: Marble King, in Paden City , West Virginia. Various games can be played with marbles. One game popular in
1925-517: The game with walnuts), and there are many examples of marbles from excavations of sites associated with Chaldeans of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. They were commonly made of clay, stone or glass. Marbles arrived in Britain, imported from the Low Countries , during the medieval era . In 1503, the town council of Nuremberg , Germany, limited the playing of marble games to a meadow outside
1980-558: The greater the amount of gambling activity in a given country, the more volatile that country's stock-market prices are. Legalization of online sports betting was found to decrease household saving, decrease investment with positive expected value and increase financial distress . Marble (toy)#Marbles games A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass , clay , steel , plastic , or agate . They vary in size, and most commonly are about 13 mm ( 1 ⁄ 2 in) in diameter. These toys can be used for
2035-611: The large market, there are many related side businesses that have sprung up such as numerous books and guides, web sites dedicated to live auctions of marbles only, and collector conventions. Additionally, many glass artisans produce art marbles for the collectors' market only, with some selling for thousands of dollars. Marbles are made using many techniques. They can be categorized into two general types: hand-made and machine-made. Marbles were originally made by hand. Stone or ivory marbles can be fashioned by grinding. Clay, pottery, ceramic, or porcelain marbles can be made by rolling
2090-407: The legal gambling market totaling an estimated $ 335 billion in 2009. In other forms, gambling can be conducted with materials that have a value, but are not real money. For example, players of marbles games might wager marbles, and likewise games of Pogs or Magic: The Gathering can be played with the collectible game pieces (respectively, small discs and trading cards) as stakes, resulting in
2145-559: The loser had stolen the funds see "Rights of owner of stolen money as against one who won it in gambling transaction from thief". An interesting question is what happens when the person trying to make recovery is the gambler's spouse, and the money or property lost was either the spouse's, or was community property . This was a minor plot point in a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Singing Skirt , and it cites an actual case Novo v. Hotel Del Rio . The Buddha stated gambling as
2200-460: The material into a ball, and then letting dry, or firing, and then can be left natural, painted, or glazed . Clay marbles, also known as crock marbles or commies ( common ), are made of slightly porous clay, traditionally from local clay or leftover earthenware ("crockery"), rolled into balls, then glazed and fired at low heat, creating an opaque imperfect sphere that is frequently sold as an "old timey" marble. Glass marbles can be fashioned through
2255-412: The new usage still not having displaced the old usage as the primary definition in common dictionaries. "Gaming" has also been used euphemistically to circumvent laws against "gambling". The media and others have used one term or the other to frame conversations around the subjects, resulting in a shift of perceptions among their audiences. Gambling is also a major international commercial activity, with
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2310-605: The outcome of an event where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome. For example, a wager can be based on the when a point is scored in the game in minutes and each minute away from the prediction increases or reduces the payout. Many betting systems have been created in an attempt to "beat the house" but no system can make a mathematically unprofitable bet in terms of expected value profitable over time. Widely used systems include: Many risk-return choices are sometimes referred to colloquially as "gambling." Whether this terminology
2365-415: The player who manages to flick their marble closest to the hole getting the chance to go first in the game. The marbles are all then placed in the center of a circle, with each player getting one striking marble and the chance to flick their marble in an attempt to strike the circle-marbles out of the circle. Each marble thus displaced is acquired by the striker, and once all the marbles have been struck out of
2420-401: The position that there is no moral impediment to gambling, so long as it is fair, all bettors have a reasonable chance of winning, there is no fraud involved, and the parties involved do not have actual knowledge of the outcome of the bet (unless they have disclosed this knowledge), and as long as the following conditions are met: the gambler can afford to lose the bet, and stops when the limit
2475-418: The production of glass rods which are stacked together to form the desired pattern, cutting the rod into marble-sized pieces using marble scissors, and rounding the still-malleable glass. One mechanical technique is dropping globules of molten glass into a groove made by two interlocking parallel screws. As the screws rotate, the marble travels along them, gradually being shaped into a sphere as it cools. Color
2530-817: The public and may be regulated by one of many gaming control boards , for example, the Nevada Gaming Control Board . However, this distinction is not universally observed in the English-speaking world. For instance, in the United Kingdom, the regulator of gambling activities is called the Gambling Commission (not the Gaming Commission). The word gaming is used more frequently since the rise of computer and video games to describe activities that do not necessarily involve wagering, especially online gaming , with
2585-478: The surfaces compared to 2014. The first synthetic surface used for thoroughbred racing was Tropical Park 's Tartan turf, a synthetic surface similar to Astroturf installed in 1966. Tartan turf was never a success with horsemen. The first synthetic surface to replace dirt in the United States was installed at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1963. This surface, called Tartan,
2640-517: The surrounding area for many centuries: TIME magazine traces its origins to 1588. ) Traditionally, the marbles-playing season started on Ash Wednesday and lasted until midday on Good Friday : playing after that was thought to bring bad luck. More than 20 teams from around the world take part in the championship, each Good Friday; German teams have been successful several times since 2000, although local teams from Crawley, Copthorne and other Sussex and Surrey villages often take part as well;
2695-414: The town. The name "marble", used for the little toy balls, comes from this region and era, and refers to such balls being made of marble . At this point, marbles were made in mills and quarries by polishing small fragments of real stone like marble, agate , alabaster , limestone , and even brass . It is unknown where marbles were first manufactured. A German glassblower invented marble scissors ,
2750-668: The use of a marble in Codd-neck bottles , which were often collected for play. In the early twentieth century, small balls of stone from about 2500 BCE, identified by archaeologists as marbles, were found by excavation near Mohenjo-daro , in a site associated with the Indus Valley civilization . In modern India the game is called "kanche". Marbles are often mentioned in Roman literature, as in Ovid 's poem "Nux" (which mentions playing
2805-645: The vendors. Such regulation generally leads to gambling tourism and illegal gambling in the areas where it is not allowed. The involvement of governments, through regulation and taxation, has led to a close connection between many governments and gambling organizations, where legal gambling provides significant government revenue, such as in Monaco and Macau , China. There is generally legislation requiring that gambling devices be statistically random , to prevent manufacturers from making some high-payoff results impossible. Since these high payoffs have very low probability ,
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#17328020725512860-994: The wagering pools, while bookmakers pay off either at the odds offered at the time of accepting the bet; or at the median odds offered by track bookmakers at the time the race started. Betting on team sports has become an important service industry in many countries. Before the advent of the internet, millions of people played the football pools every week in the United Kingdom . In addition to organized sports betting, both legal and illegal, there are many side-betting games played by casual groups of spectators, such as NCAA basketball tournament Bracket Pools, Super Bowl Squares, Fantasy Sports Leagues with monetary entry fees and winnings, and in-person spectator games like Moundball . Based on Sports Betting, Virtual Sports are fantasy and never played sports events made by software that can be played every time without wondering about external things like weather conditions. Arbitrage betting
2915-572: Was common. Lotto games and dominoes (precursors of Pai Gow ) appeared in China as early as the 10th century. Playing cards appeared in the 9th century CE in China. Records trace gambling in Japan back at least as far as the 14th century. Poker , the most popular U.S. card game associated with gambling, derives from the Persian game As-Nas , dating back to the 17th century. The first known casino,
2970-406: Was found to be unsatisfactory and removed and replaced with a traditional limestone surface in 1975. Hollywood Park (closed down) Courbold Park, Sunshine Coast Toowoomba, Queensland Klampenborg, Denmark Taby Galopp, Sweden (closed) Al Khor Horse Breeders Park, Qatar Lyon La Soie (France) Pornichet (France) Betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming )
3025-448: Was strictly controlled by the government for many years. In the mid-20th century, illegal gambling was common. However, with the opening of regulated casinos in 2010, the approach shifted. Today, the government enforces strict laws to promote responsible gambling and prevent illegal activities. Gambling has been a popular activity in the United States for centuries. It has also been suppressed by law in many areas for almost as long. By
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