History often repeats itself, but sometimes it rhymes. In the not all that old days, the “Milkman” was a local legend in the UK who delivered more than just dairy—he delivered the “fix.” Whether it was a drugged horse or a bribed jockey, the Milkman operated in the shadows of the backstretch, engaging in illegal theft to drain the bookies and the betting public.
Fast forward to 2026, and the shadows have been replaced by fiber-optic cables. The methods are cleaner, the bankrolls are in the billions, and the theft isn’t just common—it’s sanctioned by the very tracks we trust. Meet the modern-day “Joker,” Zeljko Ranogajec, and his partner Bernard Marantelli. They aren’t breaking the law; they’ve simply industrialized it.
Until recently I did not believe The Joker or his cohort Bernard were the forces behind Elite 17, the CAW team often said to be one of the major players with better rebates and host fees. Now I am not so sure as a world of circumstantial evidence exists suggesting they are, or at the least are heavily invested in US racing pools.
The “Insider” Advantage: Legalized Pool Rigging
When you watch your 10-1 shot suddenly paying 3-1 the moment the gates open, you’ve possibly met the Joker. Ranogajec and Marantelli are the likely kings of Computer-Assisted Wagering (CAW).
Unlike the Milkman, who had to dodge the law, these Australian whales are the tracks’ best customers. Through entities like Elite Turf Club—owned by The Stronach Group and NYRA—they receive privileges that would make a retail bettor’s head spin:
Direct Tote Access: They see the money flowing into the pools in real-time, faster than any retail simulcast feed.
Massive Rebates: They receive substantial rebates and reduced fees unavailable to the public. This allows them to profit from razor-thin margins that would bankrupt a retail player.
The Last-Second “Batch”: Their algorithms dump massive “batch” wagers into the pool in the final seconds before a race, effectively “crushing” the value of every ticket held by the general public who are stuck with worse final odds than they bought.
The 2025 RICO Hammer: Calling it What it Is
The “legal theft” era hit a massive wall in late 2025. A landmark class-action lawsuit, Ryan Dickey v. Stronach Group et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, has officially brought the word “Racketeering” back to the racetrack.
The lawsuit alleges that the major US racing entities—Churchill Downs, NYRA, and Stronach—alongside CAW platforms Elite Turf Club and Velocity, have participated in a “Pool Rigging Enterprise.” The complaint claims these entities used algorithms and AI to create a “rigged system” that siphons billions of dollars from retail bettors to a small circle of insiders. Steve Berman, the lead attorney, describes it as a “modern reverse-Robinhood scenario” where wealthy insiders steal from average retail players.
Beyond the Track: The Texas “Heist”
The syndicate’s “legal theft” isn’t limited to the turf. In 2025, investigations revealed how Marantelli and Ranogajec (operating under the Delaware entity Rook TX LP) orchestrated a logistical “assault” on a $95 million Texas Lotto jackpot.
They didn’t just “play” the lottery; they foreclosed on it. By using a 30-man strike team in a former dentist’s office and reportedly even using children to help process tickets, they printed nearly every possible number combination—100 tickets per second.
The Result: The fallout was so severe that Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 3070, which abolished the Texas Lottery Commission as of September 1, 2025, transferring operations to the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The Verdict: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it the “biggest theft from the people of Texas in the state’s history.”
The Milkman vs. The Joker
The Milkman was a predator, but at least he was an outsider. The Joker is an invitee.
The US horse racing industry is currently facing a reckoning. When the “house” gives its biggest winner a head start and a faster computer, the game isn’t pari-mutuel anymore—it’s a tax on the uninformed.
Are these really the people our sport wants to give the keys to the car? We all know our tote system is decrepit and these guys are sophisticated. Does that end well?
Whether it’s the Spicewood dentist’s office where the Texas lotto was raided or the air-conditioned servers of Elite Turf Club, the message is clear: The Milkman only took your money; The Joker is taking the sport itself.
This is who we are playing against.
“Bone For Tuna”
We’re gonna need it.
Contributing Authors
Jonathan "Jon" Stettin
Jonathan “Jon” Stettin is the founder and publisher of Past the Wire and one of horse racing’s most respected professional handicappers, known industry-wide as the...
