'Schism' in media rights under the spotlight as racing's funding is discussed

The split between media-rights holders in British racing was held up as an obstacle to efficiency and innovation as the issue of the sport's funding was discussed at the latest virtual gambling conference organised by the international law firm CMS.

There were calls for racing to support the betting industry during the government's ongoing gambling review, but there was also some good news for the sport about its importance to operators.

Chris McKenzie, head of sport – commercial for online operator 888, said he found it "difficult to justify" the media-rights split between The Racing Partnership on one side and Racecourse Media Group and SIS on the other, and pointed to the example of the reduced importance of in-play betting in racing compared to other sports like football to illustrate why the situation presented difficulties.