The horse racing industry has called for a complete ban on in-play betting -- both telephone and online -- warning that "live wagering fosters corruption and will hurt the sport’s share of the gambling dollar," according to Rick Wallace of THE AUSTRALIAN. Racing Australia CEO Peter McGauran likened in-play betting to "mindless" poker machine gambling and said that "it should be banned for all sports, including horse racing." He said, "We feel so strongly about the threat that in-play betting poses to integrity that we believe that the loophole in the Interactive Gambling Act that allows in-play betting on races should be closed." His comments come as PM Assistant Minister Alan Tudge "prepares the government's response to the review into online gambling legislation" headed by former NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell. McGauran said that "while illegal online betting posed arguably the biggest threat to racing in its history, revenue losses to racing in the event of in-play betting being fully sanctioned would be steep due to intense competition for the limited gambling dollar." He said, "It's an integrity and an economic issue" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/3).
