Chile would have Simulcasting since March 2009

It was said by Carlos Rubio, head of the Superior Committee of National Horse Racing, who added that, as the system needs a law to establish the activity, there is already an agreement with horse racetracks to be regulated, because they would just be used in well known horse racetracks, the number of races, protection of local programs in order not to undermine the breeding, and the fact that the product of bets goes totally to a fund allocated to prizes.

For Rubio, the approval must be fast “from now on until March, where we expect the project to be approved. The other two things will be analyzed then, but simulcasting is an easier issue to be treated”.

On the simulcasting issue, there are two reports –in law- that contradict each other: One of them, made by Sporting Club, points that there is no need of a law to put it into practice. The other one, demanded by the National Superior Horse Racing Council, establishes the opposite: it means that a law is necessary.

This second report added that “It was illegal to put that into practice”. So, the fact that Horse racetracks agreed to use simulcasting just for Big International Prizes of Group 1 in a kind of exception. For Rubio, it is necessary to regulate this issue because, on the contrary, any other particular party could demand the respective authorization and start operating the product.

With regards to the other two issues pending, Rubio pointed that the Ministery of Economy will call to a public tender so, on technical basis, legal studies that are interested, may present to make a research on the current situation of the Chilean horse racing activity, as well as the current situation in other countries, and also know what happens in horse racetracks with the public, the casinos, slots, breeding, marketing, etc, not only in Latin America but also in US, Europe, Japan, Australia and amazing South Africa.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rubio participated in the First Congress of American horse racing (organized by Latin American Racing Channel-LARC) and was satisfied “because events of the worldwide leaders in horse racing were conclusive with regards to the fact that our country has a lot to learn from European, Asian and US reality on the matter. I am sure that we might implement many of those positive things in Chile and that, obviously, would also help our activity”.