PAT KEANE: HRI figures illustrate decline of betting ring - but all is not lost

The recent HRI figures didn’t half illustrate the massive decline in activity in the betting ring in Ireland, threatening the very existence of on-course bookmakers down the line.

The on-course bookmaker is as vital to racing as horses, jockeys and trainers. They add enormous colour to the game, are simply part of the very fabric of the sport and it is of huge importance that they continue to maintain a massive presence on racecourses all over Ireland.

But the lifeblood of any business is turnover and if the recent HRI edict tells us anything it is that the betting ring in Ireland is virtually on life-support.