Last week's scandal in Malaysia, where a trainer was disqualified for 11 years for conspiring to pull up a short-priced horse at Ipoh, has some interesting ramifications for the way Asian racing administrators handle the threat of illegal gambling.
Malayan Racing Association stewards, under the leadership of former Sydney steward Phil Dingwall, disqualified racehorse owner Khoo Hock Eng - who initiated the inquiry by filing a complaint against trainer Graham Jordan - for three years on a charge of having bet 800 ringgit (about $1,600) with 'an illegal bookmaker or a person having connections with illegal bookmakers'.
In Malaysia, where wagering through the tote is highly taxed, illegal bookmaking is rife. It's estimated to be eight to 10 times bigger than the legal tote holdings and consequently the racing industry gets a return of zero on 90 per cent of the betting on its product.
In one single action last week, Dingwall may have done more to stem the tide of money flowing to the illegals than any administrator before him. It was a powerful statement by the steward that the high-level of tolerance of the illegal bookmaking culture has gone on for far too long and that he is prepared to make a strong stand against it.
In Hong Kong, the Jockey Club estimates the illegal bookmakers hold at least as much as the club itself - around $70 billion a year. Although the proportions are much healthier than Malaysia's hopelessly out-of-balance scenario, it's still the biggest single source of potential growth for the Jockey Club's wagering business.
Traditionally, police prosecute persons found to be conducting illegal bookmaking businesses, with judges handing down substantial fines and even jail terms. But what charges and penalties befall the punters who support them?
