Broadcaster, former minister and bookmaker Ivan Yates said on Tuesday he believed the difference between terrestrial television and satellite subscription channels needs to be clearly spelled out so that racing channels can continue their coverage in Ireland.
There is widespread concern within the Irish racing industry at the impending Gambling Regulation Bill, which is at the report stage in Dail Eireann, where amendments are being considered, as it proposes a drastic ban on gambling advertising.
Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing have threatened to pull their coverage if a new watershed is introduced that prevents gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm, while more than 40 Wexford-based trainers and point-to-point handlers expressed their concern to politicians last week.
Yates operated Celtic Bookmakers for 23 years, which at its height had 63 shops before it went into receivership in 2011, and he has also had a long political career, having served as a Fine Gael TD for Wexford for 20 years and minister for agriculture, food and forestry from 1994 to 1997.
He said there is no case for banning gambling advertising on subscription channels, including RPGTV for the greyhound industry, and that further lobbying needs to be done by Horse Racing Ireland and Greyhound Racing Ireland.
Yates said: “In my opinion, there is a definite distinction to be drawn between terrestrial television and satellite subscription channels. I don’t think there is any case for banning advertising on channels such as Racing TV, Sky Sports Racing or the RPGTV for the greyhound industry.
“The fundamental point right now is to delineate, distinguish and separate the satellite channels that have an audience that are basically for the fanbase and industry of horse and greyhound racing. I think that is a very reasonable case to make. My overall take is that common sense will prevail and some lobbying may need to be done by GRI and HRI to explain the potential economic impact.”
Shelbourne Park: set to host quarter-finals of Irish Greyhound Derby on SaturdayCredit: Steve Nash
Yates said there should be a clear line drawn between gambling “tests of skill” and those where the house inevitably triumphs. He said: “For me personally, the biggest gambling operation in the country is run by the state. It’s called the National Lottery and they promote it morning, noon and night. There is a smack of political hypocrisy. The lottery has a preordained profit margin in the same way that slot machines do.
“I’ve always believed there should be a distinction between betting products that are based on someone presupposing they know more than the bookie and are a test of skill as opposed to those that are casino games where the house has to win. You can back something at 7-1 and it can go off 7-4 and that is down to skill.”
While he hopes the impacts of the current bill on the industry will be softened, Yates is concerned the threat of stringent restrictions on advertising could remain for many more years.
He added: “Like animal welfare and so many other issues in an urbanised society that doesn’t respect generations of tradition in rural life, there is no doubt there is an ever-present danger to the entire edifice of the economics of racing and gambling if politicians don’t take a balanced approach.
“This should be an election issue in 2024 and the industry should not be in any way complacent about this. They should be out there explaining the downsides because you cannot sleepwalk into something that people then say they didn’t realise the consequences of.
“I think the restrictions could be left up to the regulator, insofar as the enabling legislation will be created and the regulator, with the best expertise and in consultation with all parties, will work it out. But this is not going to go away by any means.”
Yates is set to host live TV coverage of the Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park in Dublin, which will return to national television on Virgin Media Three at 8pm this Saturday for the quarter-finals. The semi-finals will be broadcast on August 26 and the final on September 2.
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