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Big blow for Tabcorp, but a win for punters

Roar Guru
16th June, 2010
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When Justice Perram handed down the Race Fields Tax decision in favour of corporate bookmakers on Wednesday in Sydney, it was a major win for punters.

This entire inane strategy has been driven by Racing NSW CEO Peter V’Landys, who surely must resign now after guiding the racing industry in his patch down a flawed direction.

The other major states in Australia are all doing very well, especially Victoria and Queensland who have just completed highly successful carnivals as opposed to the Sydney Autumn carnival with its small fields and poor crowds.

Justice Perram ruled against RNSW as their tax was not in the interests of low margin operators who offer attractive betting products to the consumer.

This verdict is a crushing blow for Tabcorp who put their considerable media interests into this judgment as they were conscious that a judgment in favour of RNSW would have made it untenable for many bookmakers to survive, certainly in NSW.

The court case was all about bookmakers and RNSW, but the most important people in the industry are the punters and they were never consulted.

Without punters the industry does not get funded and no one has a job, and that key point has been lost in this expensive exercise.

There is a bigger picture that everyone should strive for and that is to establish a level playing field for all players.

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If everyone was taxed at the same rate based on gross profit then the racing pie would grow, especially under a new administration that did not have a joint venture with Tabcorp, making them impossible to be unbiased.

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