Following extensive peace talks, Hong Kong racing will continue to be broadcast on the Racing.com platform in Australia until the end of the current season, albeit under revised, unspecified terms.
According to the South China Morning Post, Richard Cheung, the executive director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), confirmed that their stance against fixed odds betting on Hong Kong races has been clarified in discussions with Racing.com, ensuring that their races can be aired without the promotion of fixed odds operators like CrownBet.
The partnership faced significant challenges after CrownBet’s extensive promotion during the initial broadcast, raising alarms for the HKJC regarding the integrity of their agreement. Cheung expressed that the promotion of fixed odds betting violated the spirit of their collaboration and threatened the interests of the Jockey Club.
The goal of extending the broadcast through Racing.com was to enhance the reach of Hong Kong racing while improving turnover on commingled bets, which are placed by Australians through TABCorp, the owner of Sky Channel.
The HKJC does not receive a share of bets placed with CrownBet, but commingled bets with TABCorp are relayed to Hong Kong’s totalisator pools, making this partnership crucial for their revenue. The situation escalated when Sky Channel blocked Hong Kong racing from being shown on one of Racing.com’s platforms after the contentious broadcast, prompting discontent among HKJC officials.
Initially, it appeared that the relationship might be terminated following the controversial airing, but Racing Victoria Chairman David Moodie intervened, advocating for the continuation of broadcasts for the remaining nine meetings of the current season.
This intervention was crucial in maintaining the relationship, and further discussions are expected to take place before the start of the 2016-17 season to establish clearer expectations and requirements from both parties moving forward.
