Turf Club to target insider trading on betting exchanges

THE Turf Club is set to implement new rules aimed at prohibiting the laying of horses by people with ‘inside information’ which could ultimately see offenders being ‘warned off’ from racing.

Those being targeted by the new strategy include jockeys, qualified riders, valets, trainers, jockeys’ agents and stable employees and it is also intended that rules will be implemented to give racing authorities unprecedented powers to gather information from people’s telephone bills and other sources of potentially incriminating evidence.

Senior Steward Pierce Molony said that the new strategy was being implemented after a six-month investigation by the Turf Club which targeted betting exchange activity. “The programme covered the amounts being matched on the betting exchanges before and after Irish racing went live on Attheraces,” Mr Molony said, adding: “to nobody’s surprise the amounts matched have risen considerably. With this in mind, the Stewards have approved a strategy which we are now in the process of implementing.”