MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq:CHDN), will hold the TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Championship this Saturday, Nov. 19. The $1,000 buy-in championship will offer a guaranteed $100,000 first-place prize and a guaranteed 50 seats to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship or Coast Casinos Horseplayer World Series, making it the richest guaranteed online tournament prize pool ever offered in racing.

Players can buy directly into the Championship for $1,000, and there are still a few opportunities for players to win their way in through a series of "last chance" satellite tournaments. These tournaments, which will be held Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 18, carry a $100 buy-in and offer the top 10 percent of the field a seat in the $1,000 Championship. 

"Guaranteeing a $100,000 first place prize and 50 seats to Las Vegas for a single-day online handicapping tournament is unprecedented, and the demand to qualify for this event has been very strong," said Jeremy Clemons, TwinSpires.com vice president of marketing. "We look forward to crowning our first online handicapping champion and awarding the $100,000 top prize."

The TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Championship will be conducted through TwinSpires.com and participants may register at www.twinspires.com. The series will also offer members of the Daily Racing Form's National Handicapping Championship Tour an opportunity to earn maximum tour points. 

The TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Championship will be structured in the traditional win/place format with 15 mandatory races for all contestants. TwinSpires.com Director of Marketing Lucky Kalanges will serve as tournament director. Additionally, Brisnet will offer special handicapping information on the races selected for the tournament to all horseplayers entered in the competition.

Players have had the opportunity to qualify for the Championship all year long by competing in TwinSpires.com's Online Handicapping Series. The series allowed players to compete in lower buy-in tournaments where they could also parlay their way into the Championship for as little as a $10 entry fee. More information about the TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Series and Saturday's Online Handicapping Championship can be found at www.twinspires.com.

Customers may open a TwinSpires account and wager through their TwinSpires accounts online at www.twinspires.com or via telephone by dialing 1-877-SPIRES-1 (1-877-774-7371). After an initial $25 deposit to open a TwinSpires account, there is no minimum deposit amount. Customers may deposit funds into their TwinSpires accounts at any time via their phone, the TwinSpires website or postal mail. TwinSpires charges no fees to register, wager or to maintain an account, and TwinSpires offers live video streaming of races and free race replays to all wagering customers.

TwinSpires.com (www.twinspires.com) is the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks, as well for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. TwinSpires.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Churchill Downs Incorporated and offers wagering on races from the country's most popular racetracks. TwinSpires.com is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and operates a wagering hub in Oregon.

Churchill Downs Incorporated ("CDI") (Nasdaq:CHDN), headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates the world-renowned Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, as well as racetrack and casino operations and a poker room in Miami Gardens, Fla.; racetrack, casino and video poker operations in New Orleans,. La.; racetrack operations in Arlington Heights, Ill.; and a casino resort in Greenville, Miss. CDI also owns the country's premier account-wagering company, TwinSpires.com, and other advance-deposit wagering providers; the totalizator company, United Tote; and a collection of racing-related telecommunications and data companies. Information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com. 

CONTACT: Jeremy Clemons

         (650) 429-2874 (office)

         (502) 345-5156 (cell)

         Jeremy.Clemons@twinspires.com