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Tasmania to consider whether to grant a license to Betfair in September

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Premier Paul Lennon met Tasmanian racing industry leaders and gave assurances he would consult widely with them before deciding whether to grant a license to the UK betting exchange.

“The earliest the Parliament would consider such a licence, should we decide to proceed, would be in September,” said Lennon.

The Tasmanian Thoroughbred Racing Council representatives were not convinced by Mr Lennon\’s response to Betfair\’s impacts on the financial position of the industry.

Betfair is believed to have offered to pay a license fee and a percentage of gross profit.

“We\’ll go away and take the percentages we\’ve got and find out from our colleagues interstate what the current turnover of Betfair is. Working on that turnover, we\’ll be able to work out the benefits to the Tasmanian racing industry,” said TTRC Chairman Geoff Harper.

In separate news, the Catholic Church in Tasmania said to grant a license to Betfair would potentially increase problem gambling and will outweigh any revenue benefits from the betting exchange.