Cut shows racing will soon be feeling the icy blast of post-FOBT fallout

So, more than three months before legislation comes into effect reducing maximum FOBT stakes from £100 to £2, and well before bookmakers have taken an axe to their chains of shops to turn a trickle of closures into a flood, Arc has wasted no time in slashing its prize-money contribution to its 16 tracks in anticipation of the fallout from lost media rights payments.

There will be plenty who will think it predictable that Arc, whose Flat tracks occupy the bottom seven places in the Racehorse Owners Association table for average racecourse spend per fixture, should be so quick off the mark to find reason to cut their contribution.

Will Jockey Club Racecourses and the other major racetracks see this as a signal to follow suit, or can another way be found to mitigate the financial ramifications of restrictions on FOBTs?