THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE is back for another year and has a new look but we won’t be dispensing with our theme and focus on the THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what is happening in racing. The Whinge will continue to provide an opportunity for The Cynics to Have Their Say. Thanks again for your support for the most read column on this website and one of the most read on racing websites in the country. Our popularity continues to grow despite the bagging it cops from some high profile officials, especially in Queensland, who cannot cope with constructive criticism of any kind. We encourage supporters – and critics – to continue to contribute but plan to restrict the Whinge to less than a dozen items each week. Our message to those who continually bag us is simple: IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU READ THEN DON’T REVISIT THE WHINGE.
THE major theme for our return after the holiday break seems to be Magic Millions and not too many people are as excited about the $10 million race day at the Gold Coast next year as RQ’s ‘mates’ in the racing media. Here is a sample from the dozen or so emails that we received on the topic that hopefully gets the general message across:
WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS ON MILLIONS DAY – THE ‘MAGICIAN’ OR THE ‘MESSIAH’? 
ROY SINCLAIR of BRISBANE poses some interesting questions in this email:
‘THE industry is entitled to know just who is calling the shots and controlling the purse strings to Australia’s alleged richest race day at the Gold Coast next year.
Is it the ‘magician’ or the ‘messiah’ – and aren’t industry stakeholders and taxpayers entitled to have some important questions answered?
Perhaps some pressure should be brought to bear on LNP politicians to provide some answers on just how much one of Australia’s richest men will benefit from this new ‘sweetheart deal’ with Racing Queensland.
For RQ CEO Darren Condon – the mouthpiece to the Messiah – to suggest it is ‘sheer lunacy’ for the industry to expect to know details of the financial deal done with the Magician is an absurd statement.
But how many millions are being poured into the pockets of the Magic Millionaire is just the tip of the iceberg in questions that need to be answered about this big day and who will be calling the shots.
Apart from how much of the $10 million will come from the racing industry and taxpayers of Queensland, owners need to know in advance what exorbitant acceptance fees they will be required to pay to contest these inflated prizemoney races with their underrated horses.
Will TV rights to the day be sold and if so who will benefit – the industry or Magic Millions?
Will stewards impose penalties to fit the prizemoney being raced for, or will jockeys just get ‘tap on the hand’, unacceptable suspensions and fines for breaching the rules and running away with the loot.
In other words will these big money affairs be allowed to degenerate into knock’em down Derbies and blatant over-use of the whip? You only have to look at what happens every year – last Saturday was a good example – where it seems jockeys are prepared to risk inadequate penalties to collect the prize.
Will anything be done to ensure that every runner in these big fields gets an equal chance on a track that just isn’t up to the task? When horses of any calibre – even the low quality of Magic Millions stock – compete for this sort of money there isn’t entitled to be a ‘no go’ zone on the track.
Will Magic Millions continue to be allowed ‘open season’ within the enclosure during the day where entry was even permitted to owners carrying alcoholic drinks last Saturday? Is this controlled by the stewards on race day or do they also take a backseat role on orders from RQ and MM? Does someone have to be kicked or trampled by a horse before safety becomes an issue?
It just gets sillier and sillier.
But the bottom line remains. They can pour all the money they like into prizemoney, declare Magic Millions the richest race meeting on the planet, continue to pat each other on the back and attract positive publicity from the chooks in the racing media, but at the end of the day all the money in the world won’t buy quality or respect.’
FOR MANY IT IS FORTUNATE THAT THE ‘CIRCUS’ ONLY COMES TO TOWN ONCE A YEAR
DAVE McINTYRE of the GOLD COAST writes:
‘MOST in racing agree how fortunate we are that the Magic Millions circus only comes to town once a year.
The hype of this over-rated race day with under-rated sales graduates competing for absurd prizemoney is too much for many.
But it is about to get worse. Stand by for the biggest dose of finger down the throat madness when the Millions next year lays claim to the richest race day on the Australian racing calendar.
How ridiculous is that?
How can the authorities allow a race meeting restricted to Magic Millions horses to usurp our greatest race – the Melbourne Cup – let alone two of our greatest days in Derby Day and The Championships.
It just goes to show that like most things in life money can buy anything in racing – just ask the master salesman, Gerry Harvey.’
DESPERATE NEED FOR A QUALITY INTERSTATE CARD TO COMPETE WITH MILLIONS DAY
GLEN MARSHALL of SYDNEY sent this email:
‘WHEN will Sydney or Melbourne program a major race meeting to compete with the Magic Millions program on the Gold Coast?
My friends and I have been following racing since we were in short pants and this farce, manufactured by the white shoe brigade in cahoots with their mates in high places in racing and politics, is an insult to the purists in our wonderful industry.
Having sales graduates race for multi millions of dollars (supposedly the world’s fifth richest race day next year and one assumes Gerry Harvey won’t stop until he reaches the top) borders on the ludicrous.
It would be like having the NRL competition restricted to teams from places like Charters Towers and Crow’s Nest, or only sides from the back blocks of Alice Springs and Port Arthur eligible for the AFL.
That might be going from the sublime to the ridiculous but this whole Magic Millions concept is getting out of hand.
There are those who still believe there should be a race meeting on the same day for metropolitan prizemoney in Brisbane and that there is a ‘restriction of trade’ element associated with Magic Millions.
But I’m wasting my breath raving on about this. While influential multi millionaire businessmen like Gerry Harvey have so much pull in racing and politics – continue to buy pages of free space and air time in the newspapers and on our television screens – nothing will change.
And to make matters worse when the industry asks for some detail of the financial agreement and what RQ is contributing to this new MM super day we are told to mind our own business.
The more things change at the top at RQ, the more they stay the same.’
MAGIC MILLIONS DAY AGAIN PROVED A MINEFIELD FOR THE PUNTERS 
MERV the MAD PUNTER of BRISBANE writes:
‘MAGIC Millions day again lived up to its reputation as a minefield for punters who continue to pose the question: Why Is It So?
Some good judges blame it on the big fields on a bad track. Others say some of the rich races lack quality or stand-outs.
Whatever the answer the Millions card continues to prove a bookmakers’ benefit and no doubt when the prizemoney rises to a ridiculous level next year it will be no different.
Just a glimpse at the results from last Saturday and it is easy to see how hard it was for the punters to win. The two big races were won by a $16 chance in Le Chef and Deiheros at $26.
There were four roughies successful on the program and only one favorite – Real Time at $4.4 – which saluted in the last by which time most punters were down and out.
We say it every year but the best advice on the big days at the Gold Coast – especially the Magic Millions – is for punters to steer clear and bet interstate. And apparently the holds on the Millions are on a downward spiral which is no surprise.’
‘HAVE I THE ‘RIGHTS’ TO HOLD YOU’ – WITH APOLOGIES TO THE ORIGINAL SONGWRITERS? 
STEFAN MEIER of PASCOE VALE SOUTH, VICTORIA, writes on the SKY issue:
‘OK, now that the dust has settled a bit we can take a more objective look at where the whole vision situation is maybe headed.
Firstly, although agreeing in the main with the Racing Bitch's story, there is one point and it's a very salient one at that which I would take issue with. Their comment about wagering models stated:
"the off-course pari-mutuel wagering model is in serious decline in just about every wagering jurisdiction."
Yeah, just about, except your own back yard eh!
What an odd comment given they write out of Hong Kong, probably the world’s biggest, best run, best funded model on the planet. Totally, absolutely, 100% pari-mutuel, the same as Singapore. There would be more chance of Elvis coming back than a corporate ever being allowed in there I can tell you.
So are they saying HK has it wrong? And I suppose the best comparison, the UK, where the corporates have taken over and just about crippled the entire industry for life is the right one.
Makes you wonder if, and when, the Chinese ever get their racing going what ‘model’ they will choose – Hong Kong's or the UK's? Is that even a question? It would appear that Hong Kong is immune from all these ‘consumer trends’ and ‘changing landscapes’, apparently in abundance here, and just have, holy cow!
Punters that bet, and bet big, on the tote, are happy about it! So maniacal are they about it they don't even allow Tabcorp to bet fixed odds or there is no deal. But, of course, now with co-pooling and win pools that swell to about $2 million per race who needs a corporate to cut down, refuse your bet, or close your account if you win too much, just launch?
A national tote or the dog’s breakfast, that’s what we have now – a fractured and divisive racing administration, or the HK, Singapore way. Thanks Racing Bitch, but I think we've answered our own rhetorical question.
So most scribes are of the opinion that TVN will probably fold and where does that leave Victoria going it alone?
It's been made abundantly clear they won't be getting any other states, SA, WA, on board – so now what?
Obviously they'll have to be on Sky, because that's what goes into pubs and clubs. Presumably they'll be staying put with the home service as well, as the mind boggles about them finding a ‘broadcast partner’ that would be interested in showing country or midweek meetings.
Leaving the Spring Carnival out all together, the VRC has that tied up all on its own, another hornet’s nest of questions, but let's not go there.
With regards to the myriad of other possibilities I would give them this advice. Forget for a moment the big race days, the Spring Carnival, Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup etc, it's a no brainer that free to air will want this and will probably pay or strike some sort of deal.
It's all the rest that's going to give them migraines, country and midweek, vitally important obviously, a million to one and drifting that any free to air will want to air this, regardless of the drivel they show. It’s all about ratings and advertising for them and racing will never deliver on this front, so forget it.
They seem to be obsessed with new technology, the internet and mobile, but will this be the knight in shining armor that gallops in to save the day?
During these past weeks I noticed almost all of their promotions featured the word ‘free’. ‘Free’ on Racing Network, ‘Free’ on your phone or tablet. They were plucking ‘frees’ from everywhere.
I thought I'd run a little experiment to test their theory. I bought a data pack from Vodafone which cost $8 and gave me 350 megs of ‘data booster’ and watched one race on my phone.
Naturally, because unlike the Japanese it takes us most of the time three or four minutes to load 10 horses into a barrier the race was slightly delayed. After the race I checked my data balance. To watch one race had eaten over 250 megs of data, ergo it had cost me about $6 to watch ONE race on a tiny 4.5 inch screen.
I am fully aware there are better value plans than this and it can be cheaper if you buy plans that cost $70 or $80 a month. But are they serious, Lordy?
Secondly, they might want to bear in mind that outside of free to air or the local pub or club none of their ideas will come ‘free’.
Foxtel costs money, internet costs money and their ‘big daddy’ mobile plan is the biggest whopper of all. It may all work very well for a limited time until the penny drops and people start getting wise about how much all this is costing them.
Racing NSW has obviously thought this through and that is probably why they went with the most cost effective option, Sky, compared with the things Victoria are dreaming up, $25 a month in some cases, for Foxtel with Sky will be bargain basement rates to watch racing.
So please Racing Victoria when you all sit down to thrash this out, consider where you would rather punters’ money goes, towards a bet and a better funded industry or to a money grabbing Telco who could give a damn about the racing industry, its participants or punters.’
THE SKY WILL FALL IN FOR AT-HOME PUNTERS IF THAT MOB GETS A MONOPOLY 
OSCAR JACKSON of MELBOURNE writes:
‘GOD help the stay-at-home punter if Sky winds up with a monopoly out of this racing TV broadcast debacle!
Once again Racing NSW has dealt a deadly blow to the interests of overall racing in this country by ensuring the demise of TVN.
Officials there, spearheaded by the man who would be king of racing in this country, seem hell bent on destroying anything that isn’t Racing NSW driven.
They never have and never will be able to cope with the fact that Victoria is the pacesetter in racing in this country and that no matter how hard they try nothing in Sydney will ever usurp the popularity of the Victorian Spring and Melbourne Cup carnivals.
Sky has shown that even with three channels it is not up to the job of providing what most punters want.
Trying to broadcast everything that moves and shakes on Sky1 is a disaster waiting to happen the moment a race runs late. Nobody with any interest in the gallops wants to watch wall to wall dogs and trots on Sky2 but are forced to on occasions when the thoroughbreds are treated like second rate citizens and relegated to that channel. Sky World has never been what it’s name suggests and shows the best of what you can watch on Sky1 rather than full coverage of meetings like Singapore and Hong Kong which the gallops punters want.
Sky just can’t get it right now when they have competition. What chance is there that they will get it right when they have a monopoly and can virtually say – please yourself punters, go to the opposition! At least the far superior service on TVN kept them on their toes.
Racing desperately needs a national channel – separate to Sky – and by that I don’t mean a free-to-air contractual arrangement for the major carnivals where we get too much non-racing ‘social entertainment’ garbage from the track.
The whole thing remains an awful mess and to add insult to injury for the punters there is speculation that Sky will be asked to shelve the $5 a month subscription fee for its extra two channels (Sky2 and Sky World).
Most punters – knowing the track record of Sky – reckon the chances of that happening are zero and it is more likely that they will have to pay more to watch Sky at home when – or if – it becomes a monopoly which must not be allowed to happen.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S an interesting update written by JOHN STENSHOLT in the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW this week:
HORSE racing authorities in NSW and Victoria are working on separate digital broadcast deals with corporate bookmakers that could reap each of them $5 million to $10 million a year after the two states acrimoniously split at Christmas.
It is understood both have held talks with corporate bookmakers, led by online-only gaming companies such as Sportsbet, William Hill, Ladbrokes and BetEasy, with a view to selling vision that would be broadcast on the bookmakers’ websites.
The deals could be worth about 0.5 per cent of betting turnover on the races shown, with one source estimating each state could make $5 million to $10 million a year if deals are struck with a number of the corporate bookmakers.
Discussions on the deals will take place this month, at the same time as NSW and Victorian horse racing authorities complete terms of their break-up over the ownership of the ThoroughVisioN (TVN) network.
NSW and Victoria combined their horse racing broadcast rights a little over two years ago under the TVN business. But most of 2013 and 2014 was marked by disagreement at TVN board level – on which NSW and Victoria each had four representatives – about future broadcast rights with the Tabcorp-owned Sky channel and potential new digital broadcast deals with Tabcorp, corporate bookmakers and the likes of Foxtel and free-to-air broadcaster Seven West Media.
The situation came to a head just before Christmas when talks with Tabcorp broke down, leading to NSW and Victorian race vision temporarily not being shown on Sky Channel.
Racing authorities from both states will meet this week regarding the winding down of the TVN business, which costs close to $15 million a year to run. However, each state has begun working on separate broadcast strategies that are both set to include substantial changes in terms of digital rights, as well as new deals with Tabcorp’s Sky Channel.
Any new deals would begin after the TVN business ceases operating in its current state, with racing authorities hoping for final settlement by about the end of January.
Although digital rights were a sticking point at TVN board level, with Racing Victoria releasing a statement on December 26 that in part suggested TVN had agreed to a deal to sell vision to an unnamed corporate bookmaker which was subsequently vetoed by Racing NSW. Both states are pursuing this option so they can expand coverage of the sport as much as possible.
It has been assumed that NSW racing would strike a deal with Tabcorp’s Sky which would include exclusive digital rights for the TAB.com.au website. However, one NSW racing source told The Australian Financial Review: “We will not do an exclusive deal with anyone.”
Both states are also working towards separate deals with Tabcorp and Sky, but their strategies will differ on international rights.
It is understood NSW will continue to allow Sky to sell rights to international markets on its behalf, while Victoria will prefer to do its own deals with overseas racing authorities and corporate bookmakers.
Victoria will maintain its own production facilities, though it is unclear how much of the TVN business will remain under the state’s ownership, or whether NSW will create its own digital news and vision unit.
Both states are understood to be committed to maintaining the current arrangement with Network Seven, which is paid $2 million a year to show 26 NSW and Victoria meetings.
RUPERT BACKING A WINNER BUT IS IT REALLY A LOSER FOR RACING IN QLD? 
ALBERT WILLIAMS of REDCLIFFE, a regular contributor, writes:
‘THE grapevine is strong that media mogul Rupert Murdoch has been to Brisbane, established that the LNP are little hope of losing the upcoming election and thrown the editorial weight of his publications behind the incumbent Government.
Labor faces an uphill battle coming from so far behind to win but the polls suggest they are running 50-50 with the LNP and will put a dent in their massive margin come January 31.
From a racing perspective Queensland faces more of the same – or does it?
We are stuck with an RQ hierarchy dominated by Kevin Dixon where a la Bob Bentley days it is ‘my way or the highway’.
I even heard recently where an edict had gone out to the Greyhound Board not to speak with the media about critical issues such as the new Cronulla Park complex. Why allow any questions to be asked when you don’t have to answer them?
But there is some light at the end of the tunnel – if you listen to some Government insiders. The strong mail is that Steve ‘Queensland will finish a furlong in front of the southern states’ Dickson will be replaced as Racing Minister after the election.
Steve might be a nice bloke but, in the opinion of many, as a Racing Minister he has proved an embarrassment and an absolute disaster.
But don’t count on getting someone who might do the job well – like Ray Stevens – catapulted into the role – at least not while little King Kev’s protector, Tim the Toolman, has any say about the appointment. It’s a bit rich the way he is orchestrating things when he was recently reported as saying there would be no Racing Minister if Labor won back office.
At the end of the day racing in Queensland is destined to another three years of political propaganda about how the LNP has turned the industry around and put us on a level playing field with the big states.
Sure guys – and pigs might fly – even in racing.’
LITTLE KEV’S REPORTED ‘GAG ORDER’ ON GREYHOUND BOARD MEMBERS NO CONFIDENCE BOOST 
‘BARRY BONES’ of CAPALABA writes:
‘YOU have to hand it to Greyhounds Queensland chair Michael Byrne. Obviously years of batting in the defense of clients through the highest courts in the land has given him an undeniable ability to duck and weave when it comes to facing the tough questions and now it seems statements.
In the most recent issue of Racing Queensland’s greyhound magazine The Chase, Mr Byrne has given his New Year’s message to all greyhound participants. He speaks in glowing terms about the increase in prize money and how the greyhound folk are so happy and contented these days and they should feel the same throughout 2015.
But one would think that Mr Byrne, being the chief of the greyhounds, would be speaking enthusiastically about what is the biggest thing in Queensland greyhound circles, the proposed new track at Cronulla Park. Throughout his New Year’s message, Byrne makes not one mention of the Cronulla Park track.
It’s common knowledge that the majority of Logan councillors and welfare and social groups in the Logan area don’t want the track being built on a site used to dump dead animals, tonnes of asbestos and household waste.
Racing Queensland fails to give any updates on what is happening. All greyhound people know is that the Minister for Racing stood up at a greyhound function back in April and announced that construction of the new track would start in ‘May’, but he didn’t mention which year. Most assumed that it would be 2014, that was eight months ago and nothing has happened since. Some spies within the greyhound industry have discovered that tenders were called for late last year to build the track but the bosses of Racing Queensland have said nothing.
The fact that the boss of Racing Queensland, Little Kev Dixon has reportedly put a gag order on Byrne and the other two greyhound Board members not to speak to greyhound participants seems a great way to build confidence in an industry when the people supposedly selected to represent the participants are not allowed to talk to them unless Little Kev has given his blessing.
The subject of Cronulla Park and the proposed new track has been the laughing stock throughout the Australian greyhound industry. It’s been over six years since the Gold Coast dog track was closed down and that $10 million was set aside for a replacement track. Through the Builder Bob fiasco and now the Dixon era, Cronulla Park remains a pie in the sky dream. Dixon realizes that the GBOTA which is the recognized body to represent greyhound owners and trainers and the splinter group the UGA, collectively have no muscle and he can ride rough shod over them.
There seems to be no trouble for Dixon to get funding to upgrade tracks, boost prize money for the gallopers but the poor old dish lickers don’t even get the table scraps. To his credit Dixon did give the dogs a lift in prize money, something overdue for the past few decades as funding due to greyhounds was siphoned off to prop up the ‘red hots’.
But it’s the Cronulla Park white elephant which has most dog people up in arms. They can’t get a response from the three-man board, Byrne’s New Year message being a case in point, one would think if it is a priority for 2015 to build the first track in Queensland for eons, it would at least get a line in the Chair’s New Year message.
Apart from Cronulla Park, there are more troubles on the horizon for Byrne and co. The lift in prize money has meant more NSW based dogs are appearing in Queensland. It’s been estimated that about 30% of dogs racing on Thursday nights come from over the border. This means the lift in prize money designed to boost greyhound stocks in Queensland is just lining the pockets of Mexican raiders from across the border. Some say the antiquated grading system here in Queensland is also partly to blame as dogs can get better form through the Northern Rivers whereas here in Queensland we’ve only got two TAB tracks, half what we had a few years ago.
Then there is the huge number of dogs that can’t get starts. It’s common for more than 200 dogs to be nominated for races at Ipswich when only 100 are required to make up a full 10 race card. That means 100 dogs can’t get starts. The Board in its questionable wisdom reduced the number of races at non-TAB meetings like Bundaberg and Capalaba and even closed down these tracks over the holiday period. Well done fellas. Reducing races and closing down race meetings is great morale for the industry at a time when Racing Queensland is spending millions on rebuilding tracks, boosting prize money for gallopers and chest beating on how the racing industry is booming. That might be the case for some sectors but certainly not the greyhound industry.
It would seem Mr Dixon sticks with the ostrich principle – bury your head in the sand and hopefully when you pull it out the greyhound industry will be no more.
Ain’t gunna happen Little Kev. There are lots of greyhound folk about the place and they all vote.
A FEW FACTS THAT SHOULD BE REVEALED ABOUT CRONULLA PARK
SEVERAL greyhound identities have forwarded this article, written by MAX ARTHUR of MARGATE, and asked that we run it in the Wednesday Whinge:
‘AT the racetrack the other night a greyhound trainer was espousing to all and sundry who would listen, the site called Cronulla Park, owned by the State Government (Crown land) had been given, I presume he means assigned or transferred at no cost to the greyhound industry.
The know-all trainer’s knowledge of the industry is – in my opinion – very poor.
Let me explain the current Greyhound Board is a Statutory Authority and as such cannot hold any assets. The transfer would have to be to Racing Queensland as Controlling Industry Body, with maybe the probability of a long term lease to the cash strapped Greyhounds, as I understand it could be a payment of about $800,000 per annum, good cash if you can get it for a cash strapped Government.
Why would the Government who is struggling in the polls do such a ridiculous thing close to an election when every other sporting club in Queensland, be it little or small, is crying out for such a favor?
I would be so bold to suggest the possibility of a financial return on the old unwanted tip site on the Government books could be the answer, and by lumping the long suffering Greyhound Industry with this useless land full of contaminates e.g., asbestos etc. may be the answer.
Very good question, isn’t it?
Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from the President of an Aboriginal Association based in Musgrave Park at South Brisbane, who had their site closed down by the Government just prior to the G20 in Brisbane.
Why? He informed me his Association applied for a permit for a peaceful protest. He was subsequently advised by the Premier who personally arrived at Musgrave Park to inform him and his people he was locking the gates and boarding up their premises because Musgrave Park was a contaminated Asbestos site, citing the health and safety of the aboriginal people was paramount in his thoughts: His question to the Premier is: “Why close Musgrave Park when the same Government is trying to force another dump site contaminated with Asbestos on my brothers at Logan,” presumably he meant Cronulla Park. Interesting to note, Aboriginal people do race Greyhounds.’
EXCERPTS FROM ANNUAL REPORT FROM RQ CHAIRMAN AS REQUESTED 
EDITOR’SNOTE: WE have received numerous complaints from stakeholders that they have had difficulty accessing the annual report of Racing Queensland on the official website. Here are excerpts from the reports of Chairman Kevin Dixon to the annual meeting in November. It can be found by logging into:http://www.racingqueensland.com.au/media/60719/2014rqgeneralmeetingpresentationfinal.pdf
FINANCIAL OUTCOMES 2014
• Revenue increase of $2.6 million (1.3%) on prior year
• Expenditure increase of $5.4 million (2.7%) on prior year
• EBITDA deficit of $2.8 million, prior year surplus of $319 thousand
• Operating deficit of $5.5 million, prior year operating deficit of $4.5 million.
• Racing Queensland carries no significant debt.
Revenue up $2.6 million (1.3%)
• Total Wagering revenue decreased by $591 thousand (0.4%) due to:
* Tattsbet wagering revenue decreased by $4.4 million (3.3%)
* Race Information fees revenue up by $3.8 million (9.5%)
• Government Grant Income up $3.5 million (70%) with the granting of assets from the Parklands facility and the Cronulla Park, Logan facility.
Expenditure increased by $5.4 million (2.7%)
• Additional administration expenditure of $2.98 million was incurred over and above normal business operations, this was for the Commission of Inquiry, Tattsbet litigation and land tax charges with the transfer of assets.
Returns to the Industry increased on prior year:
• Prizemoney and breeder bonus payments up $3.5 million (3.3%)
– Thoroughbred – Up $2.8 million (3.4%)
– Harness – Up $287k (1.9%)
– Greyhounds – Up $450k (4%)
• Industry Contributions of $14.2 million up $128 thousand (0.9%) comprising of:
– Industry Subsidies to clubs up $1.054 million (8.5%)
• Thoroughbred Clubs subsidies up $489k (4.8%)
• Harness Club subsidies up $158k (50%)
• Greyhound Club subsidies up $407k (20.8%)
– Club capital works and venue contributions down $926 thousand (-56%);
• Thoroughbred Clubs down $1.110 million (-75%)
• Harness Club subsidies up $8k (16.7%)
• Greyhound Club subsidies up $176k (135.8%)
OVERALL WAGERING TURNOVER ON QLD PRODUCT increased by 5.1% on prior year
• Wagering turnover on QLD only Tattsbet Operations decrease 0.4%
• Wagering turnover on Tote Operations excluding Tattsbet increase 1.6%
• Wagering turnover on Corporate Bookmakers increase 21.9%
• Wagering turnover on Betting Exchange decrease 9.3% as a result of change in definition of net assessable turnover
• Wagering turnover on On-Course Bookmakers decrease 29.8% as a result of declining Bookmaker numbers wagering on QLD product
CONTRIBUTION TO COUNTRY RACING
• Required under legislation to contribute 5.32% or $5.4M of net
Product and Program
• RQ contributed $8.87M in prizemoney and QTIS bonuses to Country Racing.
• $3.47M or 64% above the legislated 5.32% of the net Product and Program fee
• Total RQ contribution to Country Racing $16.5M or 204% above the legislated levels
• Country Racing Series continued to showcase the product in the regions
MAJOR RQ ASSET ACQUISITIONS
• Cronulla Park, Logan
• Parkland Assets
• Building upgrade and acquisitions of equipment at the Albion Park venue
• Major Club Capital projects / asset acquisitions in FY14:
• Machinery (Tractor & Aerator) – Townsville Turf Club & Mackay Turf Club
• Stewards Towers Anti Slip treads & kickers – Ipswich Turf Club, Gold Coast Turf Club, & Mackay Turf Club
• Course proper track upgrade - Ipswich Turf Club
• Horse Stalls – Beaudesert Race Club
• Horse Warning Signs – Gold Coast Turf Club
• Track works – Gympie Turf Club
• Track rehabilitation – Chinchilla Race Club
• Artificial matting – Bundaberg Greyhound Racing Club
• Starting Boxes – Brisbane & Townsville Greyhound Racing Club
• HD Camera and Triax upgrade – Redcliffe Harness Racing Club
• Ooralea Park, Mackay upgrade complete
• Cannon Park, Cairns upgrade complete
• Beaudesert upgrade complete
• Bundall, Gold Coast upgrade Phase 1 – Grandstand complete
• Clifford Park, Toowoomba upgrade complete
• Multi Use Race Day Event Infrastructure including portable screens and marquees to assist clubs on race days in progress
• Cronulla Park, Logan commenced
• Eagle Farm, Brisbane approved July 2014
• Cluden Park, Townsville approved November 2014
THE FUTURE
• New Prizemoney Initiatives from October 1, 2014
* Thoroughbreds to increase by 20%
* Harness to increase by 16%
* Greyhounds to increase by 50%
• New Wagering Agreement entered into with Tattsbet. Key terms of the agreement include:
* Tattsbet to have 30 year exclusivity to operate “bricks and mortar” retail race and sports wagering services
* $150m licence fee payable by Tattsbet (split between RQ ($97.4m) and the State ($52.6m)
* Ongoing payments by Tattsbet to RQ for the 30 year term expected to deliver over $4BN to racing industry. Ongoing payment stream includes:
* $15m annual fixed product fee
* Variable product fee on the same terms as the current agreement (i.e. 39% of gross race wagering revenue payable by Tattsbet to RQ)
• Other key matters to note from Wagering Agreement and the current wagering landscape:
• Commitment from Tattsbet to spend significant amounts on marketing, branding and retail refurbishments – all geared towards increasing gross race wagering revenue.
• Joint venture initiatives to be established between the industry and Tattsbet for Virtual Racing and on-course entertainment precincts
• $5m to be spent over five years to support and market country racing
• Existing restrictions that apply to on-course sponsorship and advertising to remain (i.e. no sponsorship of races, race meetings or licensed venues by competitors of Tattsbet)
• In terms of overall funding contribution, it is worth noting that Tattsbet makes the greatest contribution to the racing industry in Queensland both in:
* Percentage terms (Tattsbet pays a higher percentage of wagering revenue to Racing Queensland than corporate bookmakers)
* Breadth of market (the Queensland racing industry receives a return from bets placed anywhere around the world by Queensland punters with Tattsbet. With corporate bookmakers, the Queensland racing industry only receives a return from bets placed on Queensland races)
A FUTURE GROWTH STRATEGY FOCUSED ON
* New Product and program agreement
* Ensuring all wagering operators pay their share
* Balance of racedays vs. volume
* Greater, integrity and transparency
* Diversify Income streams for sustainability
* Continue to drive efficiency in RQ
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the above e-mails should not be interpreted as those of JOHN LINGARD, the owner-editor of the letsgohorseracing web-site. That is why he has added an ‘EDITOR’S NOTE’. Every endeavor is made to verify the authenticity of contributors. We welcome any reasonable and constructive responses from parties or individuals.