Forum Re-cap by Garry Robinson

Talking about bookies…I had a conversation with Con Kafataris yesterday and during the Racing and Sports betting forum yesterday I questioned him and the Victorian Bookmakers and now Australia Bookmakers association representative Lyndon Hsu and Alan Eskander about the future should we end up with a National Tote. His view was competition between bookmakers would ensure that if the best Tote product were to go its place would be taken by a Tote Plus product which would be equivalent to what we are getting now. “If we don’t do that” he said: “then the punter will bet somewhere else either here or overseas.”

On of the most interesting speakers was Louise Sylvan, the Productivity Commissioner who is currently taking submissions on Gambling. Rather than tightening existing laws, it seems as though the laws are likely to be relaxed to give the punter the best possible deal. Other speakers on the day support this view. We suspect that Racing NSW will not support that opinion but as they did not have a spokesperson there we may never know, although Peter Vlandys’ submission to the Commissioner, we are told by others who were there, was anticompetitive and not in the punters’ favour as it was more of the protectionist style of submission.

Have a look at http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/gambling-2009 to see what is happening. Apparently the Commission is still open to submissions.

At the start of the Forum yesterday I addressed the audience of legislators, Racing CEO’s and bookmakers and TAB representatives with my concerns about how the punter was treated simply as fodder for the machine. By the end of the day it was obvious that the attitude has changed and changed a lot, except in NSW which in the end will not be able to hold back the tide.

I spoke to Jason Cheetham yesterday and he tells me that our Winform Members are welcome at his stand at Ascot, so if you are travelling, drop in and say “hello” and he will look after you and maybe give you a hint as he is a keen form student and does all his own form for Ascot. He seems like a very likeable person.