What's the difference?

Horse-racing officials in Massachusetts say they are worried that a virtual horse-racing game proposed by the state lottery could end up leaving their live and simulcast races in the dust.

Officials at several tracks and representatives of thoroughbred owners say the 12-horse animated racing game, scheduled to debut this year on Keno-style monitors in bars and restaurants, would siphon customers and bets away from them.

''It's a threat to our industry," said Jeff Hooper, a horse trainer and a member of the Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association. ''You're talking a huge expansion of wagering on what is basically a thoroughbred product."

Gary T. Piontkowski, president of Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville, which offers live harness racing and simulcasts of races all over the country, predicted the lottery game would hurt his business, drawing away the infrequent bettor who doesn't follow racing closely. He pointed out that the cartoon horses on the virtual game are about the same size as real horses on simulcast broadcasts.

''It's basically simulcasting," he said. ''I'm hoping people will take a look at this and say, 'What are we doing here?' "

Bob O'Malley, chief operating officer at Suffolk Downs, said he didn't know whether horse-racing fans would find virtual contests as exciting as the real thing. But he said there's no doubt the lottery wants to grab every gambling dollar it can.

''The lottery has become a devastating competitor," he said. ''They're involved in a different product every month. As they push $5 billion to $6 billion a year in sales, there's not much left for anyone else."

State Senator Michael W. Morrissey of Quincy said he intends to hold a hearing at the State House next week on the new game. He said he wants to find out whether the Massachusetts State Lottery has the statutory authority to launch the game and whether horse racing is the best focus for it.

''I'm not sure a horse-racing game is a good idea with the industry so fragile," he said.

Beth Bresnahan, a spokeswoman for the lottery, said the horse-racing game is intended to be a complement to the existing Keno game. ''This is in no way meant to replace simulcasting or the excitement involved in watching a live race," she said.

Joseph Sullivan, the lottery's executive director, said this week he hoped to launch the horse-racing game in November or December and expected it to bring in about $150 million over the course of its first full year.

He said the lottery intends to install video monitors in bars and restaurants dedicated exclusively to the game.

The lottery's Keno game, which is available in 1,700 locations throughout the state, would continue to have its own set of monitors.

The game is expected to feature 12 numbered horses racing around an oval with an announcer calling the race.

Sullivan said the game could also be played with the sound turned off.

Sullivan said betting details are still being worked out, but he said the minimum bet would probably be $1 or $2. He said players would pick horses to win, place, or show as well as other combinations.

The lottery's plans surfaced this week when Scientific Games Corp. of New York said it had won a $3.5 million contract to supply the software for the horse-racing game for the next three years.

Hooper, the horse trainer, said horse racing in Massachusetts is a $315 million industry that needs financial support, not more competition.

He said the industry has asked the Legislature to approve off-track betting, gaming video machines that would allow betting on old races, and even a partnership with the lottery to show live races on Keno machines.

None of those initiatives have been approved, Hooper said, yet now the state lottery is launching its own animated horse-racing game.

''They're capitalizing on thoroughbred racing's popularity," he said. ''They are becoming an off-track betting concept, which we are prohibited from doing by law."

Horse-racing officials say they would be less alarmed about the new lottery game if its focus wasn't horse racing, but they said any major expansion of the lottery has the potential to hurt their business.

''There's only so much money people have to bet," Piontkowski said.

Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.