'This would clear out the betting ring' - on-course bookmakers fearing the worst

The betting ring would collapse at Northern Ireland's two tracks if affordability checks with a 'trigger' limit of £100 a month were introduced as feared, according to one of the country's most experienced bookmakers.

Gerry Donnelly, who has held an on-course licence since 1997, has voiced concern at a Gambling Code of Practice, drafted by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, which proposes that affordability checks be actioned if a customer spends in excess of the minimum limit of £100 in a month.

The code states that bookmakers "should refuse to accept payments in excess of the 'trigger' limit from any customer who chooses not to submit to a prior affordability check and in advance of the result becoming known". Moreover, such checks should take place at racecourses in addition to betting shops, bingo clubs, amusement arcades and travelling fairs.

Donnelly, chairman of the Northern Ireland On-Course Bookmakers Association, insists the proposals are impractical and their introduction would be the death knell of the betting ring in Northern Ireland.

Affordability checks 'threaten future' of racing in Northern Ireland

He said: "I would say this code of practice would clear out the betting ring and get rid of all the bookmakers if introduced. Who could do what they are proposing? Who could possibly do those affordability checks? It's just not feasible.

"Most of the betting is done in the four or five minutes just before the off in each race at the track, everybody knows that. I actually don't think the message has got through properly to punters yet, they don't realise just how serious it is."

When asked how likely it is that affordability checks will be introduced at racecourses, Donnelly replied: "I would be pretty confident they won't. I have heard that, in the face of objections from various bodies, they need to review these codes of practice. That's what I've been told."

'Our costs have escalated'

Donnelly still savours the atmosphere of the betting ring but admitted that times are tough for on-course layers at present, even before any talk of affordability checks commenced.

He said: "The turnover has collapsed in the betting ring. Any average bookmaker will tell you that they have seen their turnover fall by about 50 per cent over the last number of years, yet our costs have escalated.

"When I took out my licence in 1997, my set-up and equipment costs were £100. Okay, I had to get a licence and a couple of pitches on top of that, but your equipment costs at the moment? Even for second-hand stuff you're looking at somewhere between £6,000 and £8,000.

"Anybody who asks me about investing in on-course bookmaking, I tell them it's madness. It's just not viable. I have a 40-year career behind me. I'm not financially dependent on bookmaking. If I can cover my costs for the year, I'm happy. It gets me out of the house 22 days a year in Northern Ireland and I love the atmosphere, I really do enjoy it. It's a bit of a challenge but I love it."

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