Time to call out the horse racing industry

Montage of Feck

From the toff's flaunting their conspicuous consumption to the ethnic minorities flaunting animal cruelty and road laws, the whole thing reeks of self entitlement and arrogance.
The current Cheltenham festival being an example of this arrogance. I have no doubt that it will be proven to be a major cause of the Corona virus spread here.
Then of course there's numerous moral issues from gambling to animal cruelty.

LaFuton

so its gay?


knew it

Your Face

It would be a hard fight.

That crowd is very influential.

Deebles McBeebles

The whole Cheltenham thing was ridiculous. Hero Harris coming out and saying people who came back from it wouldn't need to self-isolate. How quickly things change.

Joe_ Public

"ethnic minorities flaunting animal cruelty and road laws..."

And this has what exactly to do with the horse racing industry?

Antwashere1

Cheltenham is a great sporting occasion, Irish horses are the best in the world. Part of Irish culture.

I'd be looking at the people who went to northern Italy in February, they almost certainly brought back the disease in large numbers.
Groups going to ski when the virus was well established.
Much more damaging than Cheltenham.

J. Marston

Antwashere1 wrote: »

Cheltenham is a great sporting occasion, Irish horses are the best in the world. Part of Irish culture.

I'd be looking at the people who went to northern Italy in February, they almost certainly brought back the disease in large numbers.
Groups going to ski when the virus was well established.
Much more damaging than Cheltenham.

That word right there boils my piss. The OP had it right in his title. It's an industry, not a sport.

If you take away the gambling aspect from horse-racing it dies, completely, right then and there. Extinct.

If you take gambling away from actual sports like football, hurling, rugby etc they would all survive.

Horse-racing fans like to tell themselves it's a noble sport. It is the furthest thing from noble. It's a grubby past-time built on a mountain of betting dockets.

Strumms

Horse racing and equestrian sports employs several thousand people in this country, both directly and indirectly. They are also ‘money people’. So let it be no surprise that FG and more besides gave them a hall pass.

It’s a terrible indictment on this government and the people in the horse racing industry that it was not stopped. Though a very limited experience in direct relation to horses and their industries ... what I did experience was those types of people putting the wellbeing of horses and their potential to earn...yards ahead of the wellbeing of their staff and the people they contracted (my former employer) me and colleagues. Even on one occasion the safety of an aircraft when the vet and his groom got heavy handed with a captain who refused to carry an animal due to it behavior (kicking fûck out of their stable on the aircraft)... the attitude and subsequent email correspondence led to the company ceasing all transportation of horses. I had many face to face dealings, just not nice people, motivated by cash more than sport.

The Tetrarch

J. Marston wrote: »

That word right there boils my piss. The OP had it right in his title. It's an industry, not a sport.
If you take away the gambling aspect from horse-racing it dies, completely, right then and there. Extinct.
If you take gambling away from actual sports like football, hurling, rugby etc they would all survive.
Horse-racing fans like to tell themselves it's a noble sport. It is the furthest thing from noble. It's a grubby past-time built on a mountain of betting dockets.

Biggest betting events
Soccer World Cup: $136 billion was wagered throughout the tournament, including $7.2 billion alone on the final match between France and Croatia.
American football Superbowl $6.8 billion
NCAA March madness (look it up) $8.5 billion
Kentucky Derby 2019 horse racing $250.9 million
Boxing Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in 2017 over $100 million
World Series baseball $1.1 billion

I don't have figures for hurling gambling as it is only played in a few counties in a small country.
It looks like soccer is the sport built on a mountain of betting dockets, but let's not do any research.

andekwarhola

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Time to call out the horse racing industry

HORSE RACING INDUSTRY. OIII!

Fr Tod Umptious

The Tetrarch wrote: »

Biggest betting events
Soccer World Cup: $136 billion was wagered throughout the tournament, including $7.2 billion alone on the final match between France and Croatia.
American football Superbowl $6.8 billion
NCAA March madness (look it up) $8.5 billion
Kentucky Derby 2019 horse racing $250.9 million
Boxing Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in 2017 over $100 million
World Series baseball $1.1 billion

I don't have figures for hurling gambling as it is only played in a few counties in a small country.
It looks like soccer is the sport built on a mountain of betting dockets, but let's not do any research.

Try not to look at individual events.

Yes the world cup generated a lot of gambling but only since the arrival of online betting has soccer become a popular sport to bed on.
The sport a as popular in its own right for decades.

Betting on racing has been going on for centuries, and racing is totally reliant on gambling.

Leg End Reject

The Tetrarch wrote: »

Biggest betting events
Soccer World Cup: $136 billion was wagered throughout the tournament, including $7.2 billion alone on the final match between France and Croatia.
American football Superbowl $6.8 billion
NCAA March madness (look it up) $8.5 billion
Kentucky Derby 2019 horse racing $250.9 million
Boxing Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in 2017 over $100 million
World Series baseball $1.1 billion

I don't have figures for hurling gambling as it is only played in a few counties in a small country.
It looks like soccer is the sport built on a mountain of betting dockets, but let's not do any research.

The difference with human-only pursuits is that they all participate of their own free will. I doubt many foals or fillies dream of getting a bullet in the head after they break a leg falling at Aintree.

Can never understand why betting companies, and punters aren't heavily taxed. It's a luxury. It used to cost 10% on a pound to bet. It should be that again or even more. Say that as someone who likes a bet on the soccer every so often.

They had a PR disaster during this crisis anyway, that's for sure.

Agree with poster above, Horse Racing would collapse without gambling.

Strumms

As an industry they employ a lot of people and it’s worth over a year a lot to the Irish economy. According to an article in the examiner back in 2017 the horse racing industry is worth over 1.8 billion euro to the Irish economy...

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/racing-industry-worth-over-18bn-to-economy-report-458568.html

S. Goodspeed

Montage of Feck wrote: »

From the toff's flaunting their conspicuous consumption to the ethnic minorities flaunting animal cruelty and road laws, the whole thing reeks of self entitlement and arrogance.
The current Cheltenham festival being an example of this arrogance. I have no doubt that it will be proven to be a major cause of the Corona virus spread here.
Then of course there's numerous moral issues from gambling to animal cruelty.

The VAST majority of Irish people attending Cheltenham each year are neither toffs nor ethnic minorities, they are actually pretty average, ordinary people.

Joe_ Public

Leg End Reject wrote: »

The difference with human-only pursuits is that they all participate of their own free will. I doubt many foals or fillies dream of getting a bullet in the head after they break a leg falling at Aintree.

It can be a dangerous pursuit, thats without question. But i suppose the alternative for horses of dreaming of a bullet in the head - if such a thing is possible - is dreaming of never being born, because racing is the sole reason for their existence in the first place. Its not as if they are being deprived from blissful lives roaming the savannahs of cork or kerry or wherever.

Leg End Reject

Joe_ Public wrote: »

It can be a dangerous pursuit, thats without question. But i suppose the alternative for horses of dreaming of a bullet in the head - if such a thing is possible - is dreaming of never being born, because racing is the sole reason for their existence in the first place. Its not as if they are being deprived from blissful lives roaming the savannahs of cork or kerry or wherever.

Well if you don't exist you can't dream of not being born.

endacl

I think the main point is being lost here. It's vitally important that we nominate an easily identifiable group of people to blame for this virulent global pandemic entering our open and easily accessible country from one of the many countries from which people travel to here. We need somebody to point and shout at.

I'm going with philatelists. ****.

Leg End Reject

endacl wrote: »

I think the main point is being lost here. It's vitally important that we nominate an easily identifiable group of people to blame for this virulent global pandemic entering our open and easily accessible country from one of the many countries from which people travel to here. We need somebody to point and shout at.

I'm going with philatelists. ****.

Lickers more than **** in fairness.

Slim Charles

Montage of Feck wrote: »

From the toff's flaunting their conspicuous consumption to the ethnic minorities flaunting animal cruelty and road laws, the whole thing reeks of self entitlement and arrogance.
The current Cheltenham festival being an example of this arrogance. I have no doubt that it will be proven to be a major cause of the Corona virus spread here.
Then of course there's numerous moral issues from gambling to animal cruelty.

Shows how stupid you are if you think it's made up of toffs and ethnic minorities you absolute moron. I agree with the point behind what your saying by the way. Idiots that went to cheltenham brought it back in their droves. But horse racing is absolutely nothing like you described it. Thats the equivalent of describing football as full of murdering, thieving liverpool fans. Generalisations on a mass scale.

Slim Charles

Leg End Reject wrote: »

The difference with human-only pursuits is that they all participate of their own free will. I doubt many foals or fillies dream of getting a bullet in the head after they break a leg falling at Aintree.

You think they get shot in the dead? Therefore, your opinion is invalid.

I'm going to strap on my red converse, dye my hair purple and march down to the GPO the next time a character on fair city gets killed, then.

Strumms

If you tell people who like traveling, people who go away to Old Trafford, Anfield, Celtic Park... for football, people going to The Shepherds Bush Empire to watch their favorite band and a boozy weekend in London or shopping and wine in Milan that they can’t travel or shouldn’t due to a global pandemic that could or WILL rock the health and wellbeing of the country and it’s people to its very foundations... all of the above will say.. “ok, let’s batten down the hatches and stay put”... you have the horsey gang with that insatiable desire for money and success of a different kind and because they want to see a fückin horse run and that thrill of a win and lust for a heavier pocket they prefer to risk the health and wellbeing of the nation... let’s not forget it friends.

NewRed2

The shocking treatment of animals by the Chinese caused this virus. Wild animals in cages, slaughtered meat market in the same area.
It's fine to turn a blind eye until it affects us apparently but you can't turn a blind eye any longer. This mis-treatment of animals and sheer contempt for our animals is what has caused this crisis and there will inevitably be another one because we have zero respect for animals. We scoff at the Chinese but its ok for fox hunting and hare coursing here, greyhounds getting their ears cut off and dumped, not that I know much about what goes on in horse racing.
If we dont respect nature then nature wont respect us.

auspicious

Horses are usually regarded or spoken of as noble animals but the racing industry they are enslaved to just like the greyhound racing industry as we have seen, has nothing noble about it.
Over breeding, horses that don't make the cut and horses past their prime incur 'wastage', unjustifiable expenses. Without enough sanctuaries available many receive a bolt in the side of the head ( or as documented in Australia with video, a shotgun through the eye (separated from the next in line by a rusty metal panel ) ) to ready them for the meat industry. They are naturally flighty animals and this 'procedure' isn't always easy!
If they're lucky
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thejournal.ie/emaciated-ex-racehorse-dumped-in-a-field-left-to-die-finds-new-home-1379358-Mar2014/%3famp=1



-The ISPCA is asking the people who care about horses to please donate €4 or make a monthly gift of €4 on which will help buy a bale of hay and feed a neglected equine just like Forest to enable the ISPCA to continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming the large number of animals who are in urgent need of care.-

https://www.ispca.ie/donate/once_off

Leg End Reject

Slim Charles wrote: »

You think they get shot in the dead? Therefore, your opinion is invalid.

I'm going to strap on my red converse, dye my hair purple and march down to the GPO the next time a character on fair city gets killed, then.

No, the head.

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

A horse doesn't want you or your stupid saddle on their back!

I don't care how many people try to tell me otherwise, no animal wants to be used by you as a mode of transport or a fun play thing to be exploited.

They are powerful but gentle animals... so they can and do endure a lot of punishment.

Anyone who says they love horses, but then puts a saddle on them and jumps up on their back... you are a hypocrite and phoney!

Zaph

Strumms wrote: »

Horse racing and equestrian sports employs several thousand people in this country, both directly and indirectly. They are also ‘money people’. So let it be no surprise that FG and more besides gave them a hall pass.

It’s a terrible indictment on this government and the people in the horse racing industry that it was not stopped.

Every other sport shut down, and yet horse racing persisted in having meetings behind closed doors to keep the gambling industry happy. I have no particular issue with gambling, but let's not kid ourselves, only a handful of people would be arsed watching horse or dog racing if they couldn't bet on it. And you're right, the government must carry a lot of the blame for allowing them to continue as long as they did. And similarly the British government should be ashamed of themselves for allowing Cheltenham to go ahead. This was even after a confirmed case was identified in the town itself. I sincerely hope that we don't live to regret their (in)decision.

SeanW

Not a particular fan of horse racing myself but I think some of the criticism on here is a little over the top.

Firstly, horse racing isn't just a Western/gambling thing, horse racing exists as a sport in the Middle East and those guys aren't exactly known for liking a bet.
A simple Google/DuckDuckGo search for "Horse Racing in the Middle East" shows things like this:
http://waleg.com/featured/a-history-of-horse-racing-in-the-middle-east/

As to the Coronavirus specifically, yes, anyone with an ounce of cop on should have realised that the Wuhan virus was a serious danger. But they were hardly the only ones, the need to lock things down etc only became clear to everyone in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile the Chinese Communist Party knew full well the danger in December when labs were warning them of a new virus, spreading from human-to-human, starting from Wuhan. The CCP responded by telling the lab to stop testing, destroy the samples and cover the whole thing up. They then continued to permit travel both internally from Wuhan - especially with the Chinese New Year - and internationally, allowing the virus to spread from the PRC to the rest of the world. Well into 2020 the World Health Organisation was telling countries not to block travel to/from China, possibly because it has a questionable association with China and the CCP. Mainstream media in the West was more worried about President Trump calling it "the Chinese virus" than the actual danger itself with many outlets comparing Covid-19 with the flu as late as the end of January.

As late as the 2nd of March, the Mayor of New York was encouraging people to go out and congregate. https://twitter.com/BilldeBlasio/status/1234648718714036229
And he wasn't alone there. Now New York is a hotbed of the Chinese Coronavirus and the media is blaming Orange Man for the situation in New York, in between scolding people for calling - correctly - the Chinese or Wuhan virus.

So yes, the horsey set should have used their heads and skipped Cheltenham this year. But this would have been bad regardless.

Leg End Reject

^^^Sean that was an impressive segue from the ethics of horse racing into a conspiracy theory.

SeanW

Blaming the people who went to Cheltenham - beyond a certain point - is ridiculous. They should have skipped it this year, but their failure to do so (while unhelpful) was not decisive, Ireland would have been involved in the Wuhan virus pandemic anyway. As for a wide variety of others failing to comprehend the danger until recently, that's not tin-foil hat nonsense but fact.

So is assuming that horse racing only exists for gambling, as at least one poster above did. It doesn't. Horse racing exists in plenty of places where gambling is frowned on or prohibited.

Slim Charles

SeanW wrote: »

Not a particular fan of horse racing myself but I think some of the criticism on here is a little over the top.

Firstly, horse racing isn't just a Western/gambling thing, horse racing exists as a sport in the Middle East and those guys aren't exactly known for liking a bet.
A simple Google/DuckDuckGo search for "Horse Racing in the Middle East" shows things like this:
http://waleg.com/featured/a-history-of-horse-racing-in-the-middle-east/

As to the Coronavirus specifically, yes, anyone with an ounce of cop on should have realised that the Wuhan virus was a serious danger. But they were hardly the only ones, the need to lock things down etc only became clear to everyone in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile the Chinese Communist Party knew full well the danger in December when labs were warning them of a new virus, spreading from human-to-human, starting from Wuhan. The CCP responded by telling the lab to stop testing, destroy the samples and cover the whole thing up. They then continued to permit travel both internally from Wuhan - especially with the Chinese New Year - and internationally, allowing the virus to spread from the PRC to the rest of the world. Well into 2020 the World Health Organisation was telling countries not to block travel to/from China, possibly because it has a questionable association with China and the CCP. Mainstream media in the West was more worried about President Trump calling it "the Chinese virus" than the actual danger itself with many outlets comparing Covid-19 with the flu as late as the end of January.

As late as the 2nd of March, the Mayor of New York was encouraging people to go out and congregate. https://twitter.com/BilldeBlasio/status/1234648718714036229
And he wasn't alone there. Now New York is a hotbed of the Chinese Coronavirus and the media is blaming Orange Man for the situation in New York, in between scolding people for calling - correctly - the Chinese or Wuhan virus.

So yes, the horsey set should have used their heads and skipped Cheltenham this year. But this would have been bad regardless.

Spot on. You're a racist though in many eyes for saying that a virus that originated in China is Chinas fault.

Snails pace

Gretas Gonna Get Ya! wrote: »

A horse doesn't want you or your stupid saddle on their back!

I don't care how many people try to tell me otherwise, no animal wants to be used by you as a mode of transport or a fun play thing to be exploited.

They are powerful but gentle animals... so they can and do endure a lot of punishment.

Anyone who says they love horses, but then puts a saddle on them and jumps up on their back... you are a hypocrite and phoney!

Well if things get any worse we'll be going back to the horse drawn carts. If I have a choice between walking or a horse carrying me, the horse is going to carry me.

Hoboo

Slim Charles wrote: »

Spot on. You're a racist though in many eyes for saying that a virus that originated in China is Chinas fault.

Ah will you stop. Racist? Replace China with Australia, is it still racist?

Only race is human, ditch the cards.

AlphabetCards

Strumms wrote: »

As an industry they employ a lot of people and it’s worth over a year a lot to the Irish economy. According to an article in the examiner back in 2017 the horse racing industry is worth over 1.8 billion euro to the Irish economy...

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/racing-industry-worth-over-18bn-to-economy-report-458568.html

They probably said the same about slavery back in the day. The money will be spent, just elsewhere.

Hulk Hands

6 wrote: »

Can never understand why betting companies, and punters aren't heavily taxed. It's a luxury. It used to cost 10% on a pound to bet. It should be that again or even more. Say that as someone who likes a bet on the soccer every so often.

They had a PR disaster during this crisis anyway, that's for sure.

Agree with poster above, Horse Racing would collapse without gambling.

Because a company like Bet365 would do what they've done in countless places, operate online here without a license without customers having to pay the tax and the companies that did pass on 10% wouldn't survive.

As it is, a hefty tax is paid on every bet you place. It's just swallowed by the bookies and brings in a mini fortune in tax revenue each year.

Cheltenham went ahead strictly on British Government advice, who were on their stupid herd immunity strategy at the time. Irish racing went ahead for 10 days behind closed on Irish government advice as they know how important to the survival of the industry (mainly breeding where Ireland's the world leader) was/is to the economy. The order of Malta, a medical charity, offered it's ambulances to the government and the government said to hold off until needed, which permitted them to be used on racetracks and racing to go ahead. Not sure how it's been a PR disaster for bookmakers, who this has nothing to do with, or racing who were doing what they were told.

Joe_ Public

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Because a company like Bet365 would do what they've done in countless places, operate online here without a license without customers having to pay the tax and the companies that did pass on 10% wouldn't survive.

As it is, a hefty tax is paid on every bet you place. It's just swallowed by the bookies and brings in a mini fortune in tax revenue each year.

Cheltenham went ahead strictly on British Government advice, who were on their stupid herd immunity strategy at the time. Irish racing went ahead for 10 days behind closed on Irish government advice as they know how important to the survival of the industry (mainly breeding where Ireland's the world leader) was/is to the economy. The order of Malta, a medical charity, offered it's ambulances to the government and the government said to hold off until needed, which permitted them to be used on racetracks and racing to go ahead. Not sure how it's been a PR disaster for bookmakers, who this has nothing to do with, or racing who were doing what they were told.

I can recall a time in the 80s when betting tax was 20%. God knows how it survived on that.

I think point is its been a PR setback for racing industry. I think thats a valid enough statement to be fair. But lot of people dont normally need much excuse to vent against the industry so you get some hysterical criticism here, its just par for the course.

The Tetrarch

Soccer Game Attended by 40,000 Fans Likely Made This Italian City a Coronavirus Epicenter
It was the biggest soccer game in Atalanta’s history and a third of Bergamo’s population made the short trip to Milan’s famed San Siro Stadium.
Nearly 2,500 fans of visiting Spanish club Valencia also traveled to that Champions League match.
More than a month later, experts are pointing to the Feb. 19 game as one of the biggest reasons why Bergamo has become one of the epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic — a “biological bomb” was the way one respiratory specialist put it — and why 35% of Valencia’s team became infected.

But let us blame toffs, not the Irish people who were on ski holidays in the area.
No facts. Make up a story.

The Tetrarch

Gretas Gonna Get Ya! wrote: »

A horse doesn't want you or your stupid saddle on their back!
I don't care how many people try to tell me otherwise, no animal wants to be used by you as a mode of transport or a fun play thing to be exploited.
They are powerful but gentle animals... so they can and do endure a lot of punishment.
Anyone who says they love horses, but then puts a saddle on them and jumps up on their back... you are a hypocrite and phoney!

Thanks for the speech from the moral high ground.
I come from a time when there were few cars, less than ten in the large country town where I spent my early years.
Back then there were hundreds of horses around, used to pull carts, and as transport for people in traps and other small carriages.
Even in Dublin milk, bread, and vegetable were delivered to houses by horse drawn wagons.
No outrage from you about how cars eliminated working horses and choke our streets.

What do you want to do with the 250,000 Thoroughbred breeding mares and the hundreds of thousands of racehorses in the world?
Do you want them eliminated? If you do, please say so.

The thoroughbred is bred for horse racing, descended from the Akhal-Teke that roamed Turkmenistan, bred with other horse breeds, and imported to Yorkshire, England.
There the imports were bred with the native British and Irish breeds, Hobbys and Galloways to produce racehorses, then owned by the aristocracy.

You make it sound like Thoroughbred horses are raced every day of their lives.
A racehorse might race ten times in its life.
Of course it has to be educated and trained gradually before that.

You have great insight into the mind of horses.
You believe you know what horses are thinking.

In your world of true people who are not "phoneys" and "hypoocrites" horses are to be left alone to enjoy life.
Will you stable them and feed them?

Hulk Hands

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I can recall a time in the 80s when betting tax was 20%. God knows how it survived on that.

People had no choice back then and the only ones that gambled were degenerates. If we charge a tax now (further to the hefty one swallowed by bookies), yet someone can go online and not pay tax , they'll obviously move online to somewhere unregulated.

Back then anyway turnover was miniscule because it was seen as a mugs game, which it was with the tax and margins. With lower tax now it gives people less impression of being ripped off. A lad can spend 100 quid a month now picking selections at random and his expected return is about 95. Then there's those who think with a little study of sports they can beat the game and there's those that actually understand it properly that can with ease. All leads to huge tax returns for Government that wouldn't be achievable if you jacked it up for customers again

c montgomery

Joe_ Public wrote: »

"ethnic minorities flaunting animal cruelty and road laws..."

And this has what exactly to do with the horse racing industry?

That race horses on public roads

CrankyHaus

Surprised nobody's mentioned the significant amount of taxpayers money that supports horseracing. €61 Million in 2008, which includes the prizemoney for races.
Worth asking if the taxpayer is getting their money's worth from this investment, since the industry they so generously support was perfectly happy to superspread Coronavirus here just to turn a quick buck. Not to mention the enormous and growing problem of gambling addiction.

Joe_ Public

Hulk Hands wrote: »

People had no choice back then and the only ones that gambled were degenerates. If we charge a tax now (further to the hefty one swallowed by bookies), yet someone can go online and not pay tax , they'll obviously move online to somewhere unregulated.

Back then anyway turnover was miniscule because it was seen as a mugs game, which it was with the tax and margins. With lower tax now it gives people less impression of being ripped off. A lad can spend 100 quid a month now picking selections at random and his expected return is about 95. Then there's those who think with a little study of sports they can beat the game and there's those that actually understand it properly that can with ease. All leads to huge tax returns for Government that wouldn't be achievable if you jacked it up for customers again

I was a bit of a degenerate in the 80s, thats true. Some fond memories.

suicide_circus

lol all the sick gamblers scrambling to defend the sport of kings

the beer revolu

The Tetrarch wrote: »

Soccer Game Attended by 40,000 Fans Likely Made This Italian City a Coronavirus Epicenter
It was the biggest soccer game in Atalanta’s history and a third of Bergamo’s population made the short trip to Milan’s famed San Siro Stadium.
Nearly 2,500 fans of visiting Spanish club Valencia also traveled to that Champions League match.
More than a month later, experts are pointing to the Feb. 19 game as one of the biggest reasons why Bergamo has become one of the epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic — a “biological bomb” was the way one respiratory specialist put it — and why 35% of Valencia’s team became infected.

But let us blame toffs, not the Irish people who were on ski holidays in the area.
No facts. Make up a story.

Thinly veiled "I was at Cheltenham 2020" 'post.

CrankyHaus

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Surprised nobody's mentioned the significant amount of taxpayers money that supports horseracing. €61 Million in 2008, which includes the prizemoney for races.
Worth asking if the taxpayer is getting their money's worth from this investment, since the industry they so generously support was perfectly happy to superspread Coronavirus here just to turn a quick buck. Not to mention the enormous and growing problem of gambling addiction.

That money comes from a levy on betting, not the general taxpayer.

So, to answer your question, taxpayers are benefitting greatly from horse and greyhound racing.

There’s no evidence that any Irish Cheltenham racegoers brought the virus back with them.

The Tetrarch

the beer revolu wrote: »

Thinly veiled "I was at Cheltenham 2020" 'post.

And again, a makey uppy post. "Facts" not supported by facts.
If you frequent the horse racing forum you would know that I am a fan of flat racing (the type without jumps).
The last jumps meeting I was at was St Stephens day, Leopardstown, in I think 1976.

The Tetrarch

suicide_circus wrote: »

lol all the sick gamblers scrambling to defend the sport of kings

To gamble is a choice allowed in a democracy.
People "invest" in houses and shares with not a idea how to assess risk or to research value.
But that is ok, because it is investing, and in six figure sums.

I bet occasionally, and am happy to report I ended 2019 transferring money from my Betfair account to my bank account.
You win, you lose. You learn and improve.
You and others appear to equate betting with unthinking, compulsive action. Sorry to disappoint.

Hulk Hands

CrankyHaus wrote: »

Surprised nobody's mentioned the significant amount of taxpayers money that supports horseracing. €61 Million in 2008, which includes the prizemoney for races.
Worth asking if the taxpayer is getting their money's worth from this investment, since the industry they so generously support was perfectly happy to superspread Coronavirus here just to turn a quick buck. Not to mention the enormous and growing problem of gambling addiction.

The taxpayer is getting incredible value from the horse racing industry. Ireland's the world leader in breeding with throughbreds fetching vast sums. Prize money supports, much of it taken from the betting levy, is designed to keep the best horses in the country, thus keeping the production line and tax receipts flowing.

Their funding should be slashed. Give it to proper sports where kids can actually get fit and improve their health.

Let the gambling industry fund them.

Hulk Hands

6 wrote: »

Their funding should be slashed. Give it to proper sports where kids can actually get fit and improve their health.

Let the gambling industry fund them.

Are you even reading the posts? The gambling industry does fund them. It comes from the betting levy

Hulk Hands

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Are you even reading the posts? The gambling industry does fund them. It comes from the betting levy

Ah, here. Don’t be getting in the way of a good rant!