Early Bookmaking

[Calzone Lord]

Here is a 90-year-old column about the very early days of bookmaking in American racing that I read a few months ago.

It would appear as though multi-race wagering in America actually got its start at the 1877 Saratoga meet - in the form of a 100/1 fixed-odds, $10 minimum, Pick 5 wager that didn't award conso's or move you to the favorite in the case of a late scratch.