Poll results: Racing right to reject Coral's ABP offer
Small majority of readers say British Racing made the right call in turning down Coral's blended proposal
British Racing was correct to dismiss Coral’s offer to contribute 7.5% of all UK racing profits to the sport, according to a slight majority of readers in this week’s eGaming Review poll.
Of the respondents, 55% said British Racing should not have accepted the offer, and hold out for something better.
However, 45% of readers said the proposal, which would have replaced the current 10.75% contribution levied on land-based racing profits, should have been accepted.
The bitter dispute between the two parties is the result of British Racing’s decision to implement its Authorised Betting Partner (ABP) scheme – designed to ensure operators make a “fair contribution” to the sport in respect of their growing digital businesses.
Writing in the Racing Post last week, Gala Coral CEO Carl Leaver branded the ABP programme as “draconian” and “unsustainable”, and argued that his firm’s racing-related costs were going up while the profitability of the sport was in decline.