The votes in the Tasmanian Parliament licensing betting exchange Betfair to operate in Australia have not ended the race for dollars by the lobbyists and lawyers involved. Next stage in the process will be to overcome an obstruction thrown up by a State law which came into effect on 29 November that gives the Victorian Racing Minister the power to decide whether interstate and offshore wagering operators may publish Victorian "race fields", and on what terms. Betfair has stopped operating on Victorian races through its British based site while waiting for the Minister to give it the necessary permission. A notice on the British Betfair website says:
*Important announcement concerning Victorian racing*
Customers may be aware that legislation granting the peak racing bodies in Victoria, and the Victorian Racing Minister, the power to decide whether interstate and offshore wagering operators may publish Victorian "race fields", and on what terms, is scheduled to be become law on 29
November 2005.
Betfair has always said that it would apply for approval under this legislation if and when it becomes law. Following the passing of betting exchange legislation through the Tasmanian Parliament last week and in anticipation of the Victorian legislation coming into force this week, we have now submitted our applications for approval to Racing Victoria Limited ("RVL") and Harness Racing Victoria ("HRV").
In good faith, we have decided to remove our markets on Victorian thoroughbred and harness race fields until RVL and HRV have had a reasonable opportunity to consider our applications.
We expect that our applications for approval to publish Victorian thoroughbred and harness race fields will be treated in exactly the same way as the applications submitted by other interstate and overseas wagering operators. In exercising public powers, we expect that RVL and HRV will comply with the rules of procedural fairness in making their decisions and, as a result, we are confident that approval will be
forthcoming in the very near future.
Given the comprehensive (and very public) debate that has occurred in relation to Betfair's efforts to obtain a licence in Australia, and the comprehensive applications that we have submitted, we believe that both RVL and HRV will be able to consider our applications within a very short timeframe.
We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this action may cause and we will keep you informed of material developments. Regards,
Betfair Horse Racing
The wording of the Betfair statement has all the characteristics of being drafted by a lawyer preparing for a trade practices and/or copyright suit of one kind or another but no doubt the Packer Group's resident lobbyist Graham Richardson will be sneaking around corridors in Melbourne trying to pretend that he is still a Mr Fixit. Pretending because reports from Tasmania suggest that he had little influence on the independent members of the Legislative Council whose votes gave the nod to the Australian version of Betfair in which the Packers will be a partner when it starts next year. Betfair employed its own lobbying advisers to handle its relations with state governments with former NSW State Liberal member Michael Yabsley's firm Government Relations Australia getting the job. Proving that he understands that the best lobbyist is always the client, Yabsley's name has not previously been mentioned in dispatches.
