Sky Sports Racing says a provision in the Bill for a blanket ban on gambling advertising from 5.30am until 9pm daily may render its channel “economically unviable in Ireland”.
The Bill proposes a ban on all gambling advertising and sponsorship on TV, radio and online from 5.30am until 9pm. A key focus of the Bill is to protect children and vulnerable people from the harms associated with gambling.
The Bill includes restrictions on gambling advertising and on sponsorship by gambling service providers. But Sky Sports Racing has said that 97pc of its viewership are over 24 years of age, “so our channel is clearly aimed at adults and not at children or young people”.
Matthew Imi, CEO of Attheraces, the broadcaster of Sky Sports Racing, said: “There is also ample evidence to show that horseracing is not a driver of problem gambling in a way that other betting and gaming products are.”
Mr Imi said the channel is “extremely concerned” about the advertising ban, adding that it could see the channel being pulled in Ireland.
“Uniquely, as compared to other sports, horseracing and betting go hand in hand so a significant amount of advertising on our specialist horseracing channel and, indeed, on competitor racing channels, is betting related. If this proposed watershed ban on gambling advertising goes ahead as drafted it could have a devastating impact on such dedicated horseracing channels.
“It’s our view that such a ban may render Sky Sports Racing economically unviable in Ireland if the option for bookmaker advertising and sponsorship support is no longer open to us.
“Not only would this penalise the multitude of horseracing fans in Ireland but it would also have a negative impact on the industry as a whole, which we know is worth €2.4bn to the Irish economy and which supports more than 30,000 jobs.”
The channel is calling for specialist horse racing channels to be exempted from the advertising ban and said that if a compromise cannot be reached it may, “reluctantly, have to make a decision to remove Sky Sports Racing from Ireland”.
Paddy Dunican, managing director of Kilbeggan racecourse, said “We all understand that gambling has to be regulated but Irish racecourses are dependent on income from media rights and if the Gambling Regulation Bill goes through in its current draft, this could have serious financial consequences for racing channels, which could affect the financial survival of many racecourses.”
Jonathan Mullin, of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) – the sport’s governing body – said Ireland is “badly lacking” in gambling regulation and welcomed the Bill but said there were a “number of creases that could be ironed out”.
“We’ve had really good engagement with officials from the Department of Justice and in those conversations we have been given some verbal reassurances but we would like to see some prescription now around those reassurances,” he said.