The Asian Racing Conference is the “must-attend event” for all stakeholders in the horse racing and betting industry worldwide. Many exciting topics are discussed, ranging from innovation to the fight against illegal betting, as well as the essential adaptation of the industry to the expectations of today’s society.

A clear message was sent from the conference that there is a sense of urgency that working together must be the way forward for all administrative and industry bodies. Horse racing Federations are facing a number of challenges, competition from sports betting, illegal bookmakers and other entertainment. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, pointed out “industry fragmentation’ top of his list of four points that the industry must focus on, followed by ‘social acceptability,’ ‘growth of illegal betting,’ and ‘ageing customer base.’

Within the business programme at the Asian Racing Conference 2024 in Sapporo, individual WoTA board members made significant contributions during presentations and discussions.

In a session titled ‘Betting: How Innovation is Changing The Future’, the Conference heard how World Pool is continuing to play a major role in the viability and sustainability of racing around the globe, however several jurisdictions continued to face significant obstacles.

Michael Fitzsimons, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Executive Director, Wagering Products and board member in WoTA, outlined the key issues that must be addressed to overcome the illegal wagering market, suggesting that racing could learn from how the music industry had successfully collaborated in the fight against illegal piracy: “As with the music industry, we must innovate together in a manner more compelling than the illegal alternative. To do this, our goal is for World Pool to provide coverage of the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) top 100 races.”

Mr. Fitzsimons believes World Pool has the potential to alleviate some illegal gambling concerns by leveraging more of the sport’s international Group 1 races: “To meet the challenge of the illegal market, we can’t and won’t stop until we, too, have a convenient product with all the world’s best races in one place, available to a global audience, through the national pool operators in every country.”

Alex Frost, Co-Chair of WoTA and CEO of the UK Tote, said World Pool “remains the most significant innovation in pool betting since the inception of pool betting. It was an immediate success with turnover increasing by more than 400% and the expansion of the World Pool since then has been breathtaking, quite frankly.”

WoTA’s new Co-Chair, Mrs Fundi Sithebe had the honour of being the last speaker at the conference. Leading South African horserace betting operator, 4Racing, Ms. Fundi Sithebe has called for more inclusivity and diversity in the sport, encouraging the dismantlement of stereotypes.

Fundi Sithebe is the first black female to lead a South African horse racing organisation. She said 4Racing was focused on attracting a more diverse audience, including young and black South Africans: “There is an emphasis on inclusivity and equal opportunities for all stakeholders, particularly marginalised groups like grooms, as evidenced by the Grooms Trust.”

“We need to educate our teams and embed inclusivity within our company cultures. It’s about conversation, awareness and the desire to learn from one another.”

Empowerment and empathy are the other two pivotal points. Ms Sithebe emphasised the dangers of not being inclusive and diverse and the perceptions and challenges the industry faces if it doesn’t embrace diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and the markets in which the industry serves.

All presentations from the 40th Asian Racing Conference are available here: Asian Racing Conference | Asian Racing Federation