Martin Cullen, Ireland’s Minister for arts, sport and tourism, said he will ban online sports betting if the country’s bookmakers don’t contribute more to the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, reports The Independent. Martin Cullen, Irish minister for arts, sport and tourism, said he will ban online sports betting...

Chinese city of Wuhan will organize the first professional horse race in the Asian nation, an event that opens the doors to the development of horse races in China. A new horse racetrack that was built in the city, which features the largest TV screen in China -480 sqm.- will be the venue of this first race, next November 29th. A new horse racetrack that was built in the city, which features the largest TV screen in China -480 sqm.- will be the venue of this first race, next November 29th.

Takings from touch-screen roulette machines in Ladbrokes' betting shops have edged ahead of earnings from traditional horse racing bets — the first product to do so in the group's 122-year history. The average weekly sum per machine lost by punters playing in Ladbrokes' UK betting shops rose by 18.2% to GBP 676 during the first six months of 2008. Average over-the-counter takings rose by 0.9% to GBP 251.80, with horse racing accounting for just under half of that figure...

After losing a lengthy European Court of Justice case over the renewal of its horseracing concessions, the Italian Government plans to launch a public tender for the 329 disputed allowances by the end of the year. According to a report from Agipronews, the European Court of Justice ruled against the Italian Government’s renewal of its 2000 to 2005 licenses because it had not put them out for public tender.

Bingos, horse racetracks and its respective agencies, among other sectors, will be forced to do constant reports on possible suspicious transactions registered in its business, to the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF-Peru), a specialized entity registered in the Superintendence of Banking, Insurances and AFP (SBS). Companies will follow a control of their commercial operations, through a record of customers that make transactions equal or superior to USD 10,000.

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) has called upon the member countries of the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property right Organization (WIPO) in Geneva to improve the legal protection of racing data and images. The IFHA made the call to government representatives at the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related rights...

Bourbon County, Kentucky - Arthur Hancock, a fourth-generation thoroughbred breeder, pointed out his office window on a recent morning to illustrate a fundamental difference between horse racing and casino gambling. A shimmering copper sun was rising over his 1,800-acre bluegrass farm. A clutch of lithe prize ponies grazed under a gunmetal sky. "Look out there," said Hancock, 64. "This is a whole different world."

Milan (Thomson Financial) - The Italian government plans to launch by end-2008 a public tender for 329 horse race betting concessions, which were subject of a lengthy EU dispute, according to a report on the Agipronews internet site, citing economy ministry sources. Last September, Italy lost a European Court of Justice ruling over renewal of the concessions for the 2000-2005 period because it had not handed them out after a public tender, the report says.