A principal racing authority has reversed a decision to impose an annual administration levy on bookmakers after several online firms threatened to abandon its commitment to a state-based wagering product.
In what has been described as a win for mid-tier and small-scale operators, Harness Racing SA (HRSA) last week revoked its plan to introduce a fee under the terms of the FY26 HRSA Integrity and Contributions Agreement.
The additional $2000 fee had raised concerns among members of the Australian Bookmakers Association and the Victorian Bookmakers Association.
They claimed the fee was highly leveraged in favour of Australia’s bigger corporate wagering firms and it would have made bookmaking on South Australian harness racing events an unsustainable exercise for smaller operators.
HRSA chief executive Heath Pocock, who took over at the regulator at the start of July, moved quickly to abolish the charge once it became clear some online bookmakers weren’t prepared to pay the extra cost.
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