$1.1 MILLION WAGERED AT SPORTS HAVEN ON THIS YEAR'S TRIPLE CROWN RACES; The Northeast's Premiere Sports And Entertainment Complex Continues To Attract Ever-Larger Crowds And A New Audience To Racing.

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 1996--More than $1.1 million was wagered at Sports Haven, the Northeast's premiere off-track pari-mutuel wagering facility, on this year's Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.

Though no thoroughbred was able to win the Triple Crown this year, Sports Haven was victorious in all three races, as its handles on each of the races topped last year's results:

$420,000 was wagered on the Kentucky Derby, a 28% increase from last year's $329,000;

$301,000 was wagered on the Preakness, 6% more than the $285,000 wagered a year ago; and

$385,000 was wagered on the Belmont Stakes, a 25% increase from last year's $308,000.

"Our goal, when we opened Sports Haven last year, was to create a total sports and entertainment experience that would be second to none and attract a new audience for racing and wagering," said Rick Cowan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Autotote Enterprises, Inc., which owns Sports Haven and operates Connecticut's off-track betting system. "Based on our results so far, with nearly $80 million wagered here during our first year and over $1.1 million just on the Triple Crown, it's obvious that we're attracting a new clientele and appealing to a larger segment of the population than just the typical race-track and off-track betting patron."

In keeping with its goal of providing a total sports and entertainment experience, Sports Haven featured the boxing match between Oscar de la Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez, which was shown via closed circuit television on Sports Haven's three giant cinematic screens the night before the Belmont.

A capacity crowd of boxing and racing fans filled Sports Haven, and more than 700 customers were turned away, according to Mr. Cowan. Widely acclaimed as a prototype for future simulcast wagering facilities, Sports Haven was built to resemble an upscale Las Vegas-style race book and nightclub. The 38,000-square-foot facility is a four-story complex that features luxury corporate suites, fine dining, dancing, and the world's largest sports bar, where patrons can watch all major sporting events on a state-of-the-art satellite television system.

With action that is virtually non-stop, bettors can wager on thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound races at tracks across the U.S. and Canada and watch them as they happen on giant cinematic screens. In addition to traditional betting windows, Sports Haven offers more than 200 private betting stations equipped with individual television monitors and touch-screen wagering machines.

Autotote Enterprises acquired the state of Connecticut's OTB operations in July 1993 for $20 million. Since that time, the company has invested an additional $25 million to upgrade and renovate the facilities, which include 11 branches and two simulcast facilities where races are televised live. As part of its acquisition agreement, Autotote returns 2.5% of all money wagered throughout the OTB system to the state and another 1% to the municipalities in which the branches are located.

In fiscal 1995, OTB wagering in Connecticut totaled $237 million, a nearly 50% increase from when Autotote took over the operation. The state's share of the take was more than $5.9 million, while local governments received nearly $2.4 million. Autotote Enterprises is a subsidiary of Autotote Corp. (AMEX:TTE), the leading supplier of computerized pari-mutuel wagering systems and services to horse tracks, dog tracks, jai-alai frontons, and Off-Track-Betting systems in over 20 countries.

CONTACT: Anthony Greco

Amy Nieporent

MDR Media

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