AUSTRALIAN RACING BOARD chairman Bob Bentley yesterday issued a blistering attack on the country's governments, corporate bookmakers and betting exchanges while warning the $5 billion industry faces an annual loss of $126 million in betting-related revenue, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.It says: "The time for politicians, both federal and state, to act is now," Bentley said in an unprecedented call to arms last night. "There is no time for navel gazing or procrastination. Cons
AUSTRALIAN RACING BOARD chairman Bob Bentley yesterday issued a blistering attack on the country's governments, corporate bookmakers and betting exchanges while warning the $5 billion industry faces an annual loss of $126 million in betting-related revenue, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
It says: "The time for politicians, both federal and state, to act is now," Bentley said in an unprecedented call to arms last night. "There is no time for navel gazing or procrastination. Consigning the issue to the too-hard file is not acceptable.
"Stripped down, the problem is not complicated and the solution is not rocket science. All that is required is for the industry to be united for once and demand our politicians have some backbone and take their head out of the sand."
Bentley said the industry "faces the greatest challenge in our lifetime" due to "the rapid growth of new types of Australian wagering providers, corporate bookmakers and betting exchanges".
If the new arrivals "do as they please without due regard" to the industry, Bentley predicts "there will be a devastating effect on racing's viability".