ATA Chief Executive John Alducci has called on Racing Victoria to provide immediate assurance to all Victorian racing industry stakeholders that Victorian racing will be no worse off as a result of the High Court decision to uphold the right of Racing NSW to impose a 1.5% turnover based product fee on corporate bookmakers, who conduct wagering on their product.
“We are seeking an assurance that Victorian prize money levels match any increases in NSW so that Victorian racing and the viability of trainers and owners participating in racing is not disadvantaged or compromised, as a result of this decision”, he said.
“The High Court decision to uphold the right of the racing industry to charge corporate bookmakers and betting exchanges its own product fee for wagering on its racing product, is a very good outcome for the funding of the racing industry in every State in Australia."
"We call on the governing bodies in each State to seek the appropriate legislation by their respective State Governments to ensure that the High Court decision is applied in every State racing jurisdiction and nationally. This has been the long held strong view of the ATA that a single uniform Product Fee MUST be applied nationally”, he added.
In light of the High Court decision the ATA calls on Racing Victoria and the Racing Minister Denis Napthine to prioritize the introduction of appropriate legislation to validate the product fee to be paid by all corporate bookmakers betting on Victorian racing.
The ATA congratulates Racing NSW on its victory in the High Court, a victory which we expect will deliver much needed funding benefits to the Australian racing industry and secure the future of our industry stakeholders.
John Alducci
Chief Executive
Australian Trainers’ Association
