Racing TV left 'dismayed' as passing of gambling bill leaves broadcaster's future in Ireland in doubt

The future of Racing TV in Ireland remains uncertain after the Gambling Regulation Bill successfully passed the legislative process, with the channel's parent company expressing "dismay" over junior minister James Browne's lack of recognition of the broadcaster's predicament.

The Gambling Regulation Bill is set to be signed into law by President Michael D Higgins imminently, having successfully passed through both houses of the Oireachtas. 

The bill, which contains legislation on a daytime gambling advertising watershed that threatens the viability of Racing TV's operations in Ireland, was first presented to the Dail (lower house) in December 2022 before completing the legislative steps there in May this year. It was presented before the Seanad (upper house) on May 14 and moved quickly through the stages, completing the report stage on October 8 before returning to the Dail on Wednesday evening.

Racecourse Media Group (RMG), the parent company of Racing TV, has reiterated it does not have the resources or the scale to offer a tailored advertising feed to Irish viewers, as opposed to Sky Sports Racing, who earlier this month revealed it is introducing a separate feed for Irish viewers.

Martin Stevenson, CEO of RMG, has voiced the channel's frustration at Browne, minister of state at the Department of Justice who is responsible for curating the bill, on account of him failing to acknowledge the challenges a "small, independent broadcaster" faces in tailoring its feeds.

Stevenson said: "Naturally we have followed the progress of the Gambling Regulation Bill with great interest and wholly support its core objective of protecting those at risk from gambling harm. 

“Since the legislation has now been passed, I want to state again to the minister, and everyone who is connected to and enjoys Irish racing, that it is simply not economically viable for Racing TV to create a separate channel for Ireland with bookmaker advertising removed.

Racing TV presenters in Ireland (left to right): Kate Harrington, Kevin O'Ryan, Gary O'Brien, Ruby Walsh and Donn McClean

“We are dismayed the minister did not acknowledge, or engage with, the fact that Racing TV is a small, independent broadcaster. We simply do not have the scale and facilities to regionalise our coverage and offer feeds with different advertising."

Browne previously argued that it would be a "very straightforward" task for Racing TV to offer a separate stream and questioned the channel when it suggested such an undertaking would cost up to €2 million, which he claimed would be a "tiny fraction of a contract worth hundreds of millions of euros" entered into with Horse Racing Ireland. But the channel asserted that "the very great majority of the value in HRI’s media rights does not lie with Racing TV but with SIS".

Stevenson reiterated that the gambling advertising watershed would render the channel's coverage in Ireland economically unviable.

“The minister’s assertion that providing a separate channel for Ireland, stripped of gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm, is ‘very straightforward’ appears to point to him disregarding the issue of the unviable economics of doing so, which we have laid bare on a number of occasions.

“We understand that there will be a window before the ban comes into effect with some reporting suggesting it may be 2026. We are very aware of and take seriously the importance of broadcasting Irish racing in Ireland and we will now work closely with HRI and Air [Association of Irish racecourses] in trying to find solutions.”

Gambling giant Flutter, the parent company of Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair, has also voiced concerns that the bill, which introduces significant curtailment on inducements offered by bookmakers, in addition to €10 stake and €3,000 win limits on online gaming, will cause a number of unintended consequences and will drive punters to the black market.

It believes such restrictions will allow unlicensed operators to offer unique selling points in those areas and lure punters away from the regulated industry.

A spokesperson for Flutter UKI said: "As a vocal advocate for regulation in Ireland for more than a decade, we welcome the new Gambling Regulation Bill but remain concerned about a number of unintended consequences. 

"While we support much of what is contained within the new legislation, we believe the way it has been written could have an impact on the future of horseracing in Ireland and drive more players into the open arms of the unlicensed and unregulated black market. However, we look forward to working closely with the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to help raise standards across the industry.” 

The legislation's expeditious progress in recent weeks has been attributed to the increasing likelihood that a general election will be called in Ireland before Christmas, and the bill was one of the few remaining priorities for the current government.

James Browne: minister of state at the Department of Justice hailed the passing of the bill

Some of the main features of the bill are the gambling advertising watershed between 5.30am and 9pm, the introduction of a prohibition on inducements offered by bookmakers, the creation of a social impact fund to be paid for by annual contributions from bookmakers based on turnover and the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), which was allocated €9.1 million in the budget for 2025.

During the final Dail debate, independent TD Mattie McGrath criticised Browne for not engaging with the horseracing industry during the legislative process. He said: "There are unintended consequences and the minister of state refuses to engage with the industry at any level, which is a serious wrong. Those people are enablers and invest their time, money and sweat and everything else. 

"There are families who nurtured the horseracing industry at small levels and they need to be supported and protected. One size does not fit all; it is difficult."

After the bill passed through the Oireachtas, Browne said: "I am truly delighted to welcome the passage of this long-awaited legislation, which is the result of many years of hard work by myself and a team of dedicated departmental officials. It provides for a new streamlined, simplified and coherent licensing framework – one that reflects the nature of gambling in modern society and addresses the proliferation of digital gambling activities and advertising in recent years."

Read these next:

Ireland's incoming gambling advertising watershed likely to come into effect in 2026 according to leading legal firm 

Ireland's controversial Gambling Regulation Bill moves step closer with new amendments to curb bookmaker promotions 

Sky Sports Racing set to introduce separate service for Ireland as daytime ban on gambling advertising looms closer 

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