Top bookies refuse to offer odds at Bath on Wednesday as media rights war erupts

A shock media rights war broke out on Tuesday evening when two major bookmakers revealed they would not offer prices on a British race fixture for the first time.

Customers at Paddy Power and Sky Bet, both of which come under the Flutter Entertainment banner, will not be able to bet on Wednesday's six-race card at Bath as the firm attempts to bring the track's operator, Arena Racing Company (Arc), back to the table over media rights payments.

Flutter labelled the unprecedented step a "commercial decision" that had been "reluctantly" taken. The move prompted a fierce response from Arc chief executive Martin Cruddace, who declared it a "clear and obvious breach of our agreement" and said his organisation would "seek certain legal undertakings to protect our and our partners’ rights".

It is not the first time Flutter has taken action to mitigate rising media rights costs, as Paddy Power moved to remove their Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) concession for certain meetings in Britain and Ireland in August 2022 while calling for transparency surrounding the sport's income streams.

However, this is the first time a major bookmaker has opted not to price up a race fixture in Britain and Ireland and represents a major ratcheting up of tensions between the sport and bookmakers, with punters ultimately caught in the crossfire.

A Flutter spokesperson said: "Sky Bet and Paddy Power have made a commercial decision to remove Bath from Wednesday's offering. This decision has been reluctantly made due to the increase in costs associated with certain aspects of our horseracing proposition.

Bath: customers of Paddy Power and Sky Bet will not be able to bet on Wednesday's meetingCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"Total media rights payments from operators stand at more than double that of the horserace betting levy – the industry’s direct funding mechanism – this at a time when the funding of the sport remains a critical item of debate."

While media rights payments to the sport are not publicly available, the most recent levy scheme raised £105 million.

The spokesperson added: "Flutter remain huge supporters of horseracing. In the last year we invested over £140m into the sport via media rights, levy, sponsorship and marketing; we are principal sponsors of ITV Racing; flagship sponsors at York and Cheltenham; partners of Go Racing In Yorkshire; founders of the Sunday Series; we work closely with the PJA, IJF and the Horse Welfare Board; and next month we are unveiling the exciting new horseracing documentary series [due to be broadcast on ITV] Flutter have funded."

Arc chief executive Cruddace said: "We are very disappointed that Flutter has taken this decision, given that it is a clear and obvious breach of our agreement which was executed over two years ago and expressly provides that the Flutter brands have to offer markets on all our and our partners’ content.

"We find it hard to imagine circumstances whereby the main board of a New York Stock Exchange listed company, with a market capitalisation of $33 billion, could not have known and therefore authorised a decision to intentionally breach a major contract.

"We hope and expect that sense prevails and the clear terms of our contract are honoured but we are writing to the main board tonight to seek certain legal undertakings to protect our and our partners’ rights." 

Wednesday's fixture at Bath comprises four Class 6 handicaps, a Class 4 handicap and a maiden fillies' stakes. The card boasts total prize-money of £39,600. Arc runs 16 racecourses across Britain, including Doncaster and Windsor.

Flutter brands have also significantly scaled down sponsorship at Arc tracks in recent times, including ending its backing of the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster this year.

Although it is understood there are no plans from Flutter to drop further meetings this week, there is now a real prospect of a protracted and disruptive dispute between two giants of racing and bookmaking if a resolution cannot be reached.

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Martin Cruddace: 'The fixation on media rights is economically illiterate - I'll never allow a trainer to tell this company how it should be run' 

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