Spooky Carnival

What is Spooky Carnival?

The Tapeta surface will be used exclusively for winter racing, allowing Belmont to take over Aqueduct’s former winter schedule as NYRA consolidates its operations at Belmont and Saratoga.

The Belmont Stakes, which was staged at Saratoga during construction, will return to its traditional Long Island home in 2027. Belmont will also host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October 2027, bringing the event back to New York for the first time since 2005.

Belmont represents NYRA’s vision of a new operating model for racing in the state—a smaller, modernized venue capable of absorbing the entire downstate racing calendar. And with almost $14 million wagered on its opening card, it’s off to a flying start.

What is Spooky Carnival?

Latest ARC data revealed that US consumers purchased 25.8 million passenger trips in August 2026 (+5%), spending 19% more on air travel than they did a year ago. The average ticket price soared 17% year-over-year to $624, with economy tickets at $569 (+17%) and premium classes at $1,454 (+11%).

August’s totals set a new record for ARC-reported and settled sales, reflecting the continued strength of the U.S. travel market and continued demand,” said Steve Solomon, ARC’s chief commercial officer. “The strong summer trends from June and July carried into August, with travel to both U.S. domestic and international destinations remaining steady from the prior month and above 2025 levels.”

Air travel is booming, but Las Vegas isn’t seeing the same lift, as tourism numbers remain turbulent.

How to play Spooky Carnival

“Player protection is something I live and breathe and I look forward to implementing that passion at scale across Allwyn,” Rodano added.

He said that by operating in a number of markets, Allwyn had a unique opportunity to learn from each other.

The appointment also follows a period of leadership changes at Allwyn, including Phil Walker’s move to lead the UK business, Katie Harbron’s hiring as director of games in the UK and Khalid Reede Jones’ appointment as North America CEO.