Overview
- Los Angeles Turf Club filed a 52-page writ of mandate in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking the return of 26 Racing on Demand terminals and a declaration that the 3x3 wager on concluded races is lawful.
- Santa Anita alleges state agents confiscated the machines and cash without a warrant or prior warning, despite the track having shared a legal analysis with state regulators beforehand.
- The Department of Justice has notified the track that the seized terminals will be destroyed in 30 days unless a court orders otherwise.
- Four major unions — SEIU, the Teamsters, the California State Pipe Trades Council and the State Association of Electrical Workers — urged Attorney General Rob Bonta to return the devices, warning the action threatens jobs and a $1.7 billion annual economic impact.
- The dispute centers on whether the 3x3 wager is pari‑mutuel pooling, as the track contends, or unlawful non‑pari‑mutuel gambling, as California tribes oppose and state enforcement actions suggest.