Don't pit sport against equestrian industry - Varadkar on FAI commissioned report on betting levy

The Taoiseach suggested the Government were not inclined to revisit their policy on the redistribution of betting tax, following questions in the Dáil in relation to the matter.

Details of the FAI's specially commissioned report into the allocation of money raised from the betting levy has been submitted to Government, with the details published on Independent.ie.

The KHSK report highlighted areas of concern in relation to the use of the funding within the racing industry, while also questioning the stated figures around the employment generated.

Calculating that horse and greyhound racing account for at most 60% of the bets placed in Ireland, the report argues that football and other sports that are popular with gamblers are "effectively subsidising racing" via the €100m per annum levy.

Earlier this year, outgoing FAI chairperson Roy Barrett asserted that €1.5billion has been distributed to horseracing and greyhound racing to date, and is used solely to finance the racing industry.

Barrett called for a review into the distribution of taxes gathered from gambling in Ireland and felt that football should receive a substantial share based on the sports’ contribution.

"I just don’t agree with your approach on this," said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, when the issue was raised by Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

"I wouldn’t pit sport against the equestrian industry in Ireland. There was a time where the budget for sport in Ireland was something like €7m. Now it’s going to be €150m and we’re going to continue to invest in sport. I don’t think you should pit sport against the equestrian industry.

"The equestrian industry, Horse Sports Ireland, stud farms… employs tens of thousands of people. It’s worth around a billion euros per year. If you