A vision splendid – WA racing stays steady on being ‘the most widely distributed racing product in the country’ 

For Western Australia racing, visibility is revenue.

Simply, the idiom out of sight, out of mind doesn’t work for a racing jurisdiction that is geographically so far removed from the engine rooms of the Australian racing industry in NSW and Victoria.

Like most things WA, there is a parochialism attached to its racing but that is not always good for business.

Racing in the state could even be considered its own industry within an industry, although as WA administrators have found out, that is not necessarily a pathway to long-term growth.

A broad-minded approach has been applied, replacing a provincial attitude and short-sightedness.

That’s why Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) chief executive Ian Edwards says a strategy to expand the broadcasting footprint of the state’s thoroughbred code has delivered a financial buffer – a barrier against a decline in betting turnover experienced in other Australian jurisdictions.

In the midst of WA’s summer carnival, Edwards insists a decision to push coverage of the state’s racing onto multiple media outlets has been instrumental in keeping wagering turnover on an even keel for the past year.

Saturday’s Railway Stakes is the most prestigious among three Group 1s decided during a month of racing branded as The Pinnacles.

But it will be staged against a backdrop of disquiet over the long-term viability of thoroughbred racing in the state, which led to an industry summit between RWWA and a group of concerned trainers who are among the state’s most prominent.

RWWA is the government statutory authority responsible for the regulation, oversight and development of racing in WA.

But it differs from Australia’s other principal racing authorities (PRAs) in that it also owns and operates the state’s TAB.

That gives Edwards a unique place in the landscape of PRA chief executives.

In essence, RWWA controls and coordinates all wagering on thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing in WA, while also managing the health and growth of the racing industry.

WA has historically relied on its summer offering for increased national attention at a time when peak racing in the eastern states is winding down after major spring carnivals.

The introduction of the $5 million Quokka, a slot race with an autumn presence, has been a welcome addition but trying to convert seasonal interest into a lasting national profile and engagement hasn’t been easy for WA administrators.

But deals with Seven West Media and global wagering firm Entain at the expense of an exclusivity arrangement with national racing broadcaster Sky Channel are showing signs of paying dividends.

In 2024/25, stronger wagering revenue helped offset rising operational costs with WA TAB income climbing to $354.3 million, up from $344.4 million in 2023/24.

Although the increase was driven by a surge in sports betting, Edwards said the organisation’s media expansion is already insulating WA racing from the wider contraction in overall turnover figures elsewhere in Australia.

“The negativity that we’ve seen in the national wagering market has been offset by the positivity from making our product the most widely distributed racing product in the country,” Edwards told The Straight.

While national declines in wagering have been well-documented in the post-pandemic era, WA finished “flat” in the past financial year  – a figure Edwards says is materially stronger than it appears once benchmarked against national results.

“That is the thing that’s driven a kind of flat revenue year on year, and we’re trading up this year,” he said. 

“We’ve actually got a bit of growth in product fees … you’ve got to compare it to the other states before you see it.”

A turning point has been RWWA’s deal with Seven West Media, which thrust WA racing onto the 7Plus streaming platform and gave the state a free-to-air presence in every Australian household with a connected device.

There were two-fold purposes in forming a business relationship with the media company.

“The deals we did last year with Seven … that was partly about showcasing our own racing on the 7Plus app, but also partly about unlocking the ability to also deal with Racing.com, which we did later in the year,” Edwards said.

The Racing.com partnership is now fully operational and will deliver its first full-year financial impact in the current reporting period, embedding WA racing inside the same media ecosystem that drives Victorian and South Australian racing.

Edwards stressed that RWWA’s longstanding relationship with Sky Racing remains intact, but said diversification was unavoidable if WA wanted to grow market share rather than defend it.

“What was important to us is that outside of Sky, we were still able to get our pictures out to other audiences,” he said.

The distribution plan has also penetrated the corporate bookmaker market, where vision is a critical driver of day-to-day betting turnover. 

WA racing is now streamed across Ladbrokes and Neds in Australia and New Zealand – access RWWA did not previously have.

“We didn’t have vision on Ladbrokes and Neds before, but we now do … and that’s obviously quite significant for us as well,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the safest option for RWWA would have been to renew its Sky deal, continuing the status quo.

“That wasn’t the easiest thing for us to do, and obviously it got a bit tense with Sky for some time,” he said. 

“But we’ve actually emerged from that as strong and happy partners with Sky, with the benefit of broader distribution of our vision as well.” 

While fees flow to the controlling body to fund prize money and industry operations, media income goes to the state’s clubs.

“The clubs win from that,” Edwards said. “All direct media revenue goes to the clubs in WA.”

Finding a solution to counteracting the headwinds trainers say they are encountering might not be so straightforward.

Edwards and his management team met with leading industry figures after a two-page letter outlining their grievances was sent to the chief executive.

In part, the letter called on RWWA to examine its own expenditure before cutting prize money.

It said the cost of running a stable in WA had become an “existential issue” – a concern that Edwards said should be acknowledged.

“I understand the frustration. I also run a business and we have the same frustration here where our revenue’s flattened and our cost bases continue to increase,” Edwards said.

“It’s important to know that there are other groups that make up the racing industry as well. I think what they really want, and I agree with them, is certainty. So ideally, we all want more money and more funding and to be able to grow prize money into the future.

“But if we can’t do that, and it is a difficult market in which to do it at the moment, and they want the certainty of knowing where (the situation) is going to be next year and the year after. That was a key thing that came out of that discussion, and I think that’s fair and reasonable.”

Edwards believes the industry’s well-being will most likely rest with the state government after assessing what can be done at an RWWA level. 

“We’ll need to address our cost base in this organisation, that’s for sure, but in order to bridge the gap to be able to hold funding or grow funding into the future, we would also need more support from the state government over here,” he said.

“So we’ll do what we can in the business (RWWA) but at some point it becomes a government decision as to whether they wish to put more money into racing or not, and that’s probably what we’ll get to in the next 12 months.”