Poll: Do operators need horseracing sponsorship deals?

The online bookmaking industry found itself caught up in a major row last week when the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) was reportedly said to be considering a ban on all bookmaker sponsorship deals.

The BHA is understood to be losing patience with an industry it believes has not been paying its way, with only a small number of operators currently contributing towards the horseracing levy, which helps pay towards the upkeep of the sport.

Only British-based bookmakers are required to put in to the annual fund which means offshore operators can offer British horseracing books to punters based in Britain without having to contribute to the levy.

In addition, the BHA is asking that the likes of Coral, William Hill and Ladbrokes to contribute more cash than they currently do in order to reflect the size of their growing offshore remote businesses.

And according to industry publication the Racing Post, the BHA may well attempt to force bookmakers’ hand by threatening a ban on operators striking horseracing sponsorship deals, putting at risk long-held associations such as Coral’s sponsorship of the Eclipse.

Coral head of PR and Media Simon Clare described the BHA threat as a game of “Russian roulette” in which horseracing would lose out as bookmakers simply channel marketing investment into other sports.

With this in mind, for this week’s poll we want to know whether you feel a ban on horseracing sponsorship deals would be a tough pill to swallow for the bookmaking industry. Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.