About 1.5 million people watched the Irish Grand National on television, new figures show, as the race’s backers warn that a proposed ban on betting advertisements threatens the Republic’s racing industry and its 30,000 jobs.
The Government’s Gambling Regulation Bill includes a blanket ban on betting adverts from 5.30am to 9pm in a provision criticised widely by bookmakers and the racing industry.
General manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse Peter Roe said at the weekend that he hoped the Government would consider excluding specialist racing channels from the provision, which his industry fears threatens day-to-day coverage of the sport.
New figures show that 348,000 people tuned into national broadcaster RTÉ's coverage of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, won by Intense Raffles, ridden by JJ Slevin and trained by Thomas Gibney.
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The race lured 1.1 million mainly British viewers on ITV1 while Mr Roe estimates that subscription channel Racing TV and streaming would have pushed the total audience to at least 1.5 million.
“It’s going from strength to strength,” he said, adding that the Fairyhouse Easter Racing Festival was repaying investment from the track, headline sponsor and bookmaker Boylesports and State body Horse Racing Ireland.
The gambling Bill is due before the Dáil on Wednesday. The racing and betting industries largely support the legislation, but have raised concerns about specific measures they maintain could have “unintended consequences”.
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Racecourse Media Group, owner of Racing TV, which broadcasts Irish horse racing, has warned that the advert ban threatens the “economic viability” of its Irish coverage.
The company says the ban would require it to establish a separate channel to screen Irish racing, adding to its costs. It broadcasts from Ireland and Britain on the same channel.
High-profile racing figures, including top trainer Willie Mullins, have warned that the industry, which employs 30,000 people and generates €2.4 billion annually, would suffer if Racing TV were forced to end Irish coverage.
Racing TV viewers must be over 18 to subscribe to the channel. UK law exempts specialist racing broadcasters from its advert ban.
Boylesports chief executive Vlad Kaltenieks urged Irish legislators to take the same course. He argued that the law had to balance the need to protect vulnerable people with other interests.
“The racing industry generates €2.4 billion a year. It’s a significant part of the Irish economy, we have to be careful about our approach to implementation,” he said.
Mr Kaltenieks added that his company and industry broadly welcomed the Bill and its aims, but said they “remained worried” about the potential impact of some of its proposed measures.
A Department of Justice spokesman said that Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne planned to propose several Cabinet-approved amendments to clarify the advertising ban on Wednesday.
“The Government acknowledges that the horse racing industry generates valued employment and is a source of entertainment to many,” he said.
The spokesman added that the legislation would not prevent or prohibit the operation of subscription channels or other media.
“The watershed provision will apply only to the broadcast of gambling advertising in Ireland, and not sport,” he noted.
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