ALBANY - You may soon be able to use your cell phone to bet on a horse race.

The New York Racing Association has agreed to use a new software application, mWager, if approved by the state Racing and Wagering Board.

mWager would provide real-time information on races at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga tracks.

"This technology will allow NYRA to offer our customers the ultimate in wagering privacy, accessibility and convenience," John Ryan, senior vice president at NYRA, which handles more than $1.7 billion annually in New York State-based wagers, said yesterday.

Users would register with NYRA's Internet-based wagering system, and then be e-mailed or text-messaged a link to download mWager from the software company, Sona Mobile.

Any mobile communications device equipped with Windows Mobile can use the software. Ryan believes the application will appeal to different generations of fans, as more people use hand-held devices.

Users will have access to information on the horse, owner and trainer, as well as odds, scratches and race results. Bettors could place all wagers, including win, place, show and exotic, without calling a betting line or going to a terminal.

"The horse-racing enthusiast wants to be able to look at everything," said Shawn Kreloff, chief executive of Sona Mobile. He said that, in the future, fans will be able to watch the races on their phones, too.

To prevent fraudulent use, or if the device is lost or stolen, passwords and PIN numbers will be used to ensure the authenticity of the person making the bets.

Sona Mobile, a Manhattan-based software company, also works on NYRA's Internet wagering software, and has partnered with Motorola and the newspaper Daily Racing Form. NYRA will do all the accounting and tax information for the bets, and has agreed to use Sona's technology exclusively for three years.

The Coalition Against Gambling in New York opposes the proposed expansion.

"We shouldn't be making it any easier for people to make bets," said chairman Joel Rose. He said that for those with a gambling addiction, enabling betting by cell phone would be "like putting a bar on every corner" for alcoholics.

The measure, which is believed to be the first in the country, is expected to go before the Racing and Wagering Board within the next two months. The board approved the rules allowing Internet-based wagers late last year. Internet betting was first allowed on Jan. 22, 2007. State-sanctioned gambling

At the track, either at a window or a Self-Activated Machine

At Off-Track Betting parlors

By phone

Via the Internet

By NewsDay.com