'The solution will be found and we have time to put one in place' - Suzanne Eade insists racing will remain on Irish TV screens

Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing are not going to suddenly stop showing pictures in Ireland according to the chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, as Suzanne Eade does not expect the fallout from the Gambling Regulation Bill to come into play until 2026, by which time she expects a solution to the problem will have been found. 

The bill, which is currently at the committee stage of the Seanad, has sparked controversy, with the legislation proposing a ban on gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm, which both Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing say would make it unviable for them to broadcast in Ireland.

Eade has made a pledge to Irish racing fans, promising action would remain on Irish television screens even if the proposed part of the legislation were to come into law in its current form. 

When asked directly what her plan is to keep that promise, Eade replied: "We are still working with RMG and we are still working with the department. The solution will be found and we have a bit of time to put a solution in place. We have a media rights deal in place that requires Irish racing to be broadcast in Ireland so that's where I am on the issue. 

"It's [coverage of racing] not going to fall off a cliff edge and that has been promised to us by the minister. We're talking about 2026. That's what we've been told, but we have no concrete date from anyone as to when this goes live."

She added: "We've got to see the exact ramifications of the process and timeline. And then the time to execution. There are definitely some pieces of the legislation that will require interpretation and that requires a regulator, so the next port of call is working with the regulator to make sure whatever we do put in place we don't fall foul of. There is still that side of things that has to come yet."

James Browne: junior minister in the Department of Justice

As regards the current status of the bill and HRI's relations with James Browne, the junior minister in the Department of Justice, and his department, Eade added: "We understand that it [the bill] is coming back to the Dail at the end of June, that's our understanding of where it is. 

"Beyond that, the last time we had a conversation with the minister he said there was a lot of legislation that had to be worked through. What that would mean is that a lot of people would have to reapply for licences under the new legislation. We have no exact timeline at this point and we've had nothing in terms of what you've seen in the debates, we haven't seen anything further from them. 

"The pieces that we have put to them they have reflected on. We are still waiting on some confirmations of our discussions with them, we haven't got those back yet, so those formalities are still due to come back to us."

Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath last month condemned the "shocking situation" the bill presents for the racing industry and said racing going off air in Ireland would "devastate the industry".

McGrath said: "There's massive investment in the industry all over the country. I don't know what's wrong with the minister, he's not listening to anyone. If racing was to go off television it would devastate the industry.

"These laws are seldom rescinded and it has the potential to cause so much damage. It's a shocking situation. Granting an exemption to racing channels should be examined. We should tease it out and not banish everything. There's an issue with gambling, but let's make sensible amendments. We have a very successful and valuable industry so why undermine it?"

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