Ban racing tips on Radio 4's Today programme to protect the public? What madness

Fittingly, given the 25th staging of the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Annual Award Lunch took place last Thursday, let's kick off by dipping into the legendary broadcaster's autobiography.

In the here and now, racing survives and flourishes on mainstream television because of betting. As this column has pointed out more than once, ITV's extensive coverage of the sport is dependent on the commercial revenue it generates from bookmaker advertising. Betting also forms an important part within each ITV programme because racing fans tend to enjoy a flutter. That is something we should celebrate.

Things used to be different. The BBC's racing output initially contained no references to betting, with a similar ban enforced on the wireless. It was only in 1958 that the corporation began to permit its racing teams to acknowledge bookmakers existed, although the first loosening of rules extended to the reporting of starting prices and nothing more.