Bookies unhappy as Racing.com lands $6m South Australia deal

Morphettville racecourse in Adelaide, South Australia
RACING.COM has secured a big-money deal for the broadcast rights to South Australian horse racing.

The seven-year agreement, which comes into effect next month, will see the state’s racing industry receive an unprecedented cash boost of $6 million per annum.

But not all are celebrating Racing.com’s push to broaden its horizons.

The deal is facing stern opposition from corporate bookmakers who are reluctant to promote SA racing after recent changes to the state’s gambling legislation.

A point of consumption tax introduced earlier this month means online bookies are now required to pay a 15 per cent tariff on all bets taken from residents in South Australia.

That move has seen wagering operators marginalise major Adelaide race meetings in favour of less prestigious events in regions where no such tax exists.

For example, CrownBet and Sportsbet both relegated last Saturday’s Morphettville races to the bottom of their books and gave higher billing to half a dozen minor runs in Carnarvon.

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As Racing.com’s major broadcast partners, neither of those companies is keen on the idea of promoting races in what is now a comparatively unfriendly jurisdiction.

The bookies are not alone in their opposition to Racing.com’s latest expansion gambit.

Some observers have questioned the wisdom in chasing the rights to an interstate industry that will bring no wagering revenue across the border.

Victorian racing clubs could also suffer as a result of sharing airtime with rival race meetings from out of state.

Racing.com was founded in 2015 as a platform devoted to giving bigger and better coverage to horse racing all over Victoria.

That modus operandi will be seriously compromised if the broadcaster continues to look beyond the state’s borders.

A report published in Fairfax newspapers on Sunday highlighted that issue by pointing to a potential fixture clash during this year’s spring carnival.

The Victorian country tracks of Hamilton and Sale will have their marquee meetings on October 29, a few days out from the 2017 Melbourne Cup.

The date will also play host to a race day at Gawler, north of Adelaide.

Each of those three tracks will expect their own meeting to receive showcase status on Racing.com.

Such a dilution of coverage would be a slap in the face to the Victorian clubs that have invested so heavily in a network that was intended to champion local horse racing.

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