Bet-to-view ban from ATR courses hits bookies -
- By Bill Barber (RP) - (31st JAN 2017)
LADBROKES and Coral have been told they will no longer be able to provide a bet-to-view service from all 22 tracks covered by At The Races as the stand-off over betting shop pictures escalates.
The dispute has been running since the start of the year when new betting shop channel The Racing Partnership (TRP) took over the broadcast of pictures from six Arena Racing Company tracks - Doncaster, Lingfield, Southwell, Windsor, Wolverhampton and Worcester.
While William Hill, Paddy Power and a number of independents have taken the service, Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred have not.
Legal proceedings have been started
TRP has already started legal proceedings claiming misuse of data and also over the use of unofficial commentaries in Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops.
Now the Racing Post understands Ladbrokes and Coral have been informed they are no longer licensed to provide online streaming of races from ATR tracks.
The service is provided by ATR, in which Arc is a major shareholder.
No British racing was available in Betfred, Coral and Ladbrokes betting shops yesterday, with Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton all falling under the TRP banner.
Escalation of hostilities
Arc has also ordered Ladbrokes to close their betting shops at the six TRP courses involved in another escalation of hostilities. Racegoers at Southwell yesterday were not happy that the course betting shop had been closed.
Geoff Archer, from Leicester, said: "It's bad news that the shop is shut and I think it'll have an effect on the crowd. A lot of people like to watch the other racing or have a bet on the dogs between racing.
"Roy McDonald, from Bolsover, said the situation was "disgusting".
He went on: "You come here and you want to have a bet on the other meeting and you're left standing like a lemon. It's a big loss and it makes me much less likely to come racing - and if you look round, there seem to be fewer people here today."
Cutting out the leakage
TRP was set up in December 2015 to sell media rights direct to bookmakers in an attempt to cut out the ‘leakage' of funds to bodies outside the sport.
It represents the 15 tracks owned by Arc and seven independent racecourses - Fakenham, Ffos Las, Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton, Ripon and Towcester. Coverage from the 16 courses not yet involved will switch from SIS to TRP from January 1 next year.