Tasracing Annual Report Analysis

 

 

Thank you Fran Chambers, Let Greyhounds Run Free for submitting your report to us.

The industry report can be found at:

https://tasracingcorporate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Tas-Racing-Annual-Report-2019.pdf

Fran’s analysis:

It is a depressing report.

It’s all about money – to ensure that the Government and Industry’s greed ensures that forcing animals to race brings in more and more dollars for their own coffers.

Nothing has changed for the dogs. Track injuries and deaths remain the same.

There is a clear and concerted push to optimise online gambling.

Tasracing’s focus is to increase it’s revenue by inducing ‘wagering customers’ (betting agencies) into its ‘stable’ (sorry for the bad pun).

Tasmania has entered the digital world. It is succeeding.

As online betting increases in popularity, Tasracing’s 2019 Annual Report admits that 97% of punters come from interstate and overseas – mainly from interstate. These punters are clearly not at the track, but doing their punting online.

Across the whole racing sector, the strategy ensures that punters can bet whenever they want to, with time of race meets being a pivotal part of the strategy. This begs the question: ‘Why not have virtual dogs randomly racing around a track? Why put real live beautiful hounds (and horses of course) into this awful situation?

Across the 3 codes, Prize money and Industry funding increased $1.92 million in FY19 to $26.79 million.

Wagering customers (betting agencies) generated Race Field Fee revenue at an increased rate of 8.3%.

Greyhound Racing is optimal for this sort of revenue accumulation – with at least 10 and sometimes 11 races at 3 meets every week compared with 1 and 2 weekly meets for the other codes.

Tasracing has introduced incentives for Tasmanian registered greyhound starters, and continued bonus for Grade 6 dogs, plus vaccination assistance and the introduction of an Injury Rebate Scheme. All of which assist the humans, not the dogs.

Tasracing is proud to show Tasmanian whelping numbers are down, but they don’t mention in their report that almost 50% of racing dogs come from Interstate – it’s business as usual.

It’s not about the dogs’ welfare. It’s about making money.