With the business of racing in Australia and New Zealand, be it bloodstock, breeding, training or wagering, so readily interlinked, Bren O’Brien asks if the industry is missing a trans-Tasman opportunity by being more closely integrated.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found that six wagering operators, including industry heavyweight Tabcorp, failed to comply with the rules that govern the national self-exclusion register in 2024.
New Zealand and Australian punters bet in record numbers on the Karaka Millions meeting at Ellerslie, while the global World Pool also helped uplift wagering turnover significantly.
Betting company Okebet has lost an appeal against a regulator’s finding that it breached Victorian betting laws with affiliate agreements with three football clubs, while it will contest the $100,000 fine levied by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
Tasracing’s new look board features three fresh faces, with experienced executive Charlotte Mills joining Grenville Stud’s Bart McCulloch and greyhound racing figure Roy Higgins at a crucial time for the future of all three codes in the state.
After a decade backing the Stud and Stable Staff Awards, national racing body Racing Australia has opted out of supporting the rebranded 2026 edition.
Buyers’ desire to source yearlings with an earlier foaling date is having a significant impact on the Australasian bloodstock market, with August foals commanding a 10 per cent premium compared to average throughout 2025. Run The Numbers digs into the details.
Successful businessman and major thoroughbred industry investors Bruce Neill and Gerry Ryan have been appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO), while champion trainer Fred Kersley has received a Medal of the Order of Australia.
A summer downpour and a few Australian interlopers couldn’t spoil one of New Zealand’s biggest racedays, nor prevent the Ellerslie race track from again demonstrating its value to the Kiwi thoroughbred industry.
A punter’s complaint that he was unfairly denied an $8000 payout has been rejected by a key wagering watchdog, who backed a bookmaker’s right to deny the windfall based on suspicion of multiple accounts.
