The recent exciting development with the formalisation of a partnership between the TAB and Entain promises much for our sport.
Harness Racing New Zealand is excited about working with Entain and we are currently evaluating what this new relationship means for our sport and the funding for the next racing season. We expect to make an announcement by the end of this month.
Entain took over the running of the TAB on June 1, and this will see around one billion dollars flow into support of the sector in the first five years of the partnership. All three racing codes have been guaranteed increases in funding.
We are expecting a lift in support of around $6-7m for the season starting August 1, 2023. It’s envisaged the majority of that money will go to increasing stakes for grassroots, mid-range and then Group racing, and we are working through the finer details of that.
“While we are aware that other racing codes are announcing specific stakes increases, we are not in that position yet and we will take our time to ensure we make decisions that are aligned to our strategic plan and are sustainable,” says HRNZ’s Chief Executive Gary Woodham.
