Chief Stipe

Impossible to impress you @Huey given you want a 100% discount and a money back guarantee on everything.

Considering the funding that Levin gets for their 3 racedays do you think a rental of $10,000 per meeting for the Otaki track and facilities is fair and reasonable? To Otaki?

How much do they pay?

No I'm saying that the Levin Racing Club (an Incorporated Society) has formed three Trusts two are registered Charitable Trusts the status of the third is not clear.

Don't they race at Otaki?

How much do they fund Otaki?

It isn't an Incorporated Trust. It is a Charitable Trust of which obstensibly there are three although one of them isn't registered as a Charity. It isn't clear who the beneficiaries are. It appears the Trusts were set up when the Levin Racing Club sold a parcel of land to a developer.

So a sham trust? Those types of Trusts haven't been fairing too well lately.

FFS do you and @Huey eat dinner together? Sign up to the conference: Entain ANZ’s Andrew Vouris Set for the Stage at Regulating the Game 2026 September 24, 20256:15 AM GMT+12Updated September 24, 2025 Source: Imperium Comms (EZ Newswire) LONDON, United Kingdom, September 23, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Entain ANZ chief Andrew Vouris will speak at Regulating the Game 2026, running March 9–11 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. The forum brings regulators, operators, advisers, and researchers together for three days of practical, hands-on sessions that favour real-world solutions over set-piece speeches. Vouris arrives with fresh momentum. He took the interim reins in June 2025 and was confirmed as permanent CEO for Australia and New Zealand in August, following Dean Shannon’s departure and a global search. The appointment capped a stretch in which he steadied the ship, kept key partnerships on track, and pushed for a workplace culture that treats compliance and customer care as the everyday job, not an occasional project. People inside the group say the appeal was simple: he listens, he digs into the details, and he doesn’t dodge the hard calls. On stage in Sydney, expect him to sketch how Entain plans to grow without losing sight of safeguards. Public expectations have climbed; so have regulatory demands. That combination leaves little room for vague promises. He’s likely to talk through the nuts and bolts: stronger account-level controls, clearer options for customers who want to set limits or take breaks, better data hygiene, and product oversight that keeps pace with rapid release cycles. The message is likely to be cooperative rather than combative, working with authorities, showing evidence, and adjusting where the data says a change is needed.https://bitofayarn.com For ordinary players, resources like the official Esports Insider website, opens new tab are currently being used to stay abreast of the latest platforms and features. For Australians, this market is growing through small, practical wins that matter to day-to-day players: faster, more reliable withdrawals, bonus terms you can actually understand, and simple tools to set limits or take a breather. For a forum built on evidence and workable fixes, that kind of outside lens adds useful context instead of just hype. Via new bigwigs like Vouris, the industry is expected to look at markets like it as a good barometer of where further growth and gains are still possible despite strict local regulations. The conference’s founder, Paul Newson of Vanguard Overwatch, has pointed to Vouris’s background across wagering and esports as a useful lens for the week. That fits the event’s tone. Panels often pair a regulator with an operator and an independent expert, then walk through what actually happened in a case. Amid the increasing realignment of geopolitics and world markets, opens new tab, sessions this year are tipped to spend more time on prevention and advertising rules, plus the technology that helps supervisors spot trouble earlier. A new addition for 2026 is the RTG Global Awards, created to highlight work that moves standards forward. Categories cover safer-gambling leadership and tools that make compliance easier to execute at scale, among others. Nominations remain open into early 2026, giving teams time to compile evidence rather than marketing lines. Beyond the hotel ballroom, the program stretches out into the city with a showcase at the Sydney Opera House. Vouris’s brief spans the Tasman, and the New Zealand piece matters. Entain is the long-term operating partner for TAB NZ, the statutory betting monopoly. A policy shift in 2023 tightened the net around offshore operators and formed the backdrop for an upfront NZ$100 million payment from Entain to TAB NZ as part of the partnership, opens new tab. The arrangement has become a talking point in debates about channelisation and community returns: how to keep betting onshore, fund local racing and sport, and still give customers the protections they expect. https://bitofayarn.com In Australia, the picture keeps moving. Governments at the state and federal levels are refining rules on advertising, affordability checks, data use, and operator-led interventions. The direction of travel is clear: prove you can prevent harm earlier, and show your working. That means investment in detection models that flag risky patterns, staff training that produces consistent decisions, and product changes that make the safer choice the easy choice. The higher bar isn’t just legal; it’s reputational. Trust takes time to build and seconds to lose.https://bitofayarn.com Regulating the Game is built for now: a mix of plenary debates and hands-on sessions, licensing scenarios, enforcement lessons, and analytics from both sides. This is also where people swap what actually persuades regulators, what a compliant customer journey feels like, and which fixes survive a live platform. In Sydney, Entain gets a clear stage to set regional priorities in front of those who’ll test them, while regulators push for sharper standards, researchers and providers see the real constraints. With Andrew Vouris on the bill, the March conversations will help set the tone for 2026.

Who leases it?

I wouldn't worry about the copyright - copyright is owned by The Post not the other site which copies shit loads from here anyway.

It's also here:

John Allen was appointed by the old regime that ran things like an aged Government Department. John Allen was ex-CEO of NZ Post and MFAT. Arguably he was average in both those roles. He knew ZERO about wagering. Andrew Vouris has been appointed by the board of a public company - ENTAIN. He has over 17 years working for TABCorp and ENTAIN in believe it or not manageing a gambling company! Before that he started his career as an accountant and senior manager in very successful Australian firms. More importantly he reports to Senior Management and the Board of a publicly listed company that is in the FTSE 100 on the London Stock Exchange. They will demand accountability and results. What's Out The Gate got to do with it? Look at Gambling Harm rules like Alcohol Serving rules. If you give away free alcohol or offer too many incentives to encourage more drinking of your product then you fall foul of the law. The same applies to Gambling. Some people don't have the constraint nor the skill (apparently) to turn a freebie into a profit albeit one at a reduced margin.

I suggest he understands it more than either you or @curious. Most of the general marketing IS aimed at that objective but within the constraints of the gambling harm rules.

Sometimes this constant negativity gets so tedious and tiresome. @Shab it isn't "just a little star on the screen" - all retail outlets have got new large promotional screens. These segmented (localised) promotions are displayed on these screens. I don't know what the specific marketing objectives are but two of them would be to encourage the increase in frequency and value of a bet. For example at $1.50 fixed odds win on El Vencedor yesterday was too short for my liking BUT if I had been at the local pub and a couple of jugs into the day $1.70 might have enticed me to shove that spare tenner I had in my pocket on it. @curious the retail outlet promotions wouldn't target NEW customers. The retail outlet demographic are largely already account captured by the TAB. Everyday promotions would be targeted at getting more and more often. Targeting NEW customers in a retail outlet may occur on event days e.g. Melbourne Cup day. My observation of the marketing expenditure and expertise by ENTAIN is light years ahead of the previous TAB management. It isn't random and it is very targeted. The success of their efforts will improve as the technology upgrades continue at pace.

I don't look for them and they are not targeting me. I'm surprised I saw any retail promotions. If you understand segment marketing then I'm not in that segment.

Wrong. There are promotions - constantly actually. Seems you wear the same shadez as @Huey .

Doesn't you "making a living" rely on others losing?

Perhaps but it's time that NZTR and the RIB demanded consistency. I have no problem NZTR and/or the RIB pointing the bone when required but they need to be consistent. For example does Trentham have an exemption to not gallop horses prior to race one? Just because they don't have any available? I swear I've been to two abandoned meetings in the last two years earlier enough in the morning to notice that no horses were galloped. Perhaps if they had galloped horses they may have had time to do some remedial work!! Isn't the protocol essential to ensuring that the track is safe BEFORE the first race commences?

So you've got nothing. All bullshit and bluster....and you wonder why an increasing number of people who really care are getting pissed off with the GOMP's.

The battle to save a small town racing club - from its own national body Stewart Sowman-Lund November 29, 2025 Levin racecourse has been labelled ‘surplus’ by the national racing body and faces closure.BRUCE MACKAY / The Post https://bitofayarn.com A quiet rural racecourse primarily used for training has become the centre of a looming showdown, as locals accuse the national racing body of gearing up for an asset grab. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports. “It’s location, location, location. We’re right next to the shit ponds, then we’ve got the [dog] pound,” said Michael Kay. “So, you know, basically - between the smell of shit and dogs barking all night - it’s not really that attractive.” Kay is talking about the Levin Racecourse. And he’s speaking tongue in cheek with his description of the land, because, as a member of the Levin Racing Club committee, he’s actually deeply passionate about it. Tucked on the outskirts of the Horowhenua town, about an hour north of Wellington, Levin Racecourse is no longer used for commercial racing but remains an in-demand training track.v In fact, one of the world’s top rated racehorses and fastest sprinter - Ka Ying Rising - was bred in Marton and trialled in Levin. On the strength of its performance at a jumpout day in Levin, the then-unraced three-year-old was sold and has since raked in career winnings of more than $23 million. Despite this, there’s concern from those in the club - and trainers that rely on it - that the facility could be taken from them. Under a provision of the 2020 Racing Industry Act, the national horse-racing body, NZ Thoroughbred Racing, has the ability to take control of any asset it deems surplus. It’s part of a nationwide strategy to consolidate the racing industry and improve profitability. Levin is squarely in the crosshairs, club members say, though what would happen to the site is another story. It was a question from The Post about whether the racecourse could become housing that prompted Kay to note its location next to the “shit ponds”. He doesn’t know what NZTR might do with the land if it gets hold of it, though he questions what appetite developers would have to build there. Levin Racing Club member Michael Kay is worried what might happen to the racecourse.BRUCE MACKAY / The Post The issue first arose in April this year, after the chief executive of NZTR, Matt Ballesty, wrote to the Levin Racing Club to confirm the governing body had identified the racecourse as a “surplus venue”. I n its letter, obtained by The Post, NZTR requested to enter into negotiations over the land, though noted that if the club refused to negotiate or a deal could not be reached then NZTR could go straight to the Minister for Racing and recommend it happen anyway. A s talks are ongoing, NZTR told The Post it wouldn’t provide any comment “at this time”. S ince those discussions commenced, the club has engaged a lawyer in an effort to stall NZTR’s moves. I t’s also hoping the Racing Minister, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, might stand in the way. " We are sort of his voting base,” said Kay of Peters. “It creates a precedent, really, … [that] the big incorporated society at the top could go and gobble up all the little ones. It'd be quite sad.” An NZTR takeover would require Peters’ consent as Racing Minister. He declined an interview, with a spokesperson describing it as an “operational matter” for NZTR and suggesting it was too premature to discuss. “A minister wouldn’t get involved unless the matter could not be resolved between the club and NZTR,” they said. “The first step in the process is NZTR needs to formally declare that the club is surplus to requirements.” Committee members have spoken, fearing the worst for the racecourse.BRUCE MACKAY / The Post Kay and fellow committee members have spoken out because they fear the worst for their beloved racecourse. “It's not surplus now, and we would argue that it's at least not going to be surplus for the next 20 years,” said Kay. “They're trying to take what they thought might be an easy beat and then go have a crack at some of the other ones that are a bit harder. So we're David taking on Goliath.” Club president Sean Hawkins said it had been difficult to get answers out of NZTR about why it might want the land. “We're trying to work with them, but there's just no working with them,” said Hawkins, calling it “scary” that land could be "forcibly" confiscated in 2025. “It sounds like they just want to take our track, take the money and run. And the problem we have is that racing down this way is in just such disorder. It's not funny. We want to ensure that whatever happens, the right thing's done down here. We're just not getting anywhere.” Trainers Kevin Myers (L) and Fraser Auret with club president Shawn Hawkins (R).BRUCE MACKAY / The Post The issue dominated talk at the club’s annual general meeting last weekend. Minutes from the meeting show the club has been seeking answers from NZTR over its plans for the racecourse, but that the national body was “unable to say that in the event of a takeover whether they would sell [the club’s] land immediately, retain it, lease it [or] where proceeds of sale might land.” Oliver Bau, the Levin club’s vice president, reckons he might be the youngest racing club official in the country at the age of just 22. Five generations of his family have been involved in the racing industry. “My main motivation for our club and for our racecourse is to spearhead and champion the efforts that previous pioneers … have done for the industry,” he said. “Our racecourse … has been in community hands for well over 100 years. It was gifted to the community and the racing public by one of the pioneers of the Levin township, and so it has been a community gem for a very long period of time.” Most of NZTR’s focus to date has been on commercial race tracks. The landmark Messara report of 2018 proposed sweeping changes for the racing industry, including reducing the number of racetracks from 48 to 28. As The Post has previously reported, Auckland’s Avondale Racecourse is in the firing line, facing its own possible closure and redevelopment for housing. Meanwhile, in 2020, Stratford Racing Club in Taranaki deregistered itself from NZTR in an effort to protect its racecourse from being sold - a move the national body said was unlikely to be legally enforceable. Levin wasn’t mentioned as a candidate for consolidation in the Messara report. Despite this, the threat of the racecourse closing had “lingered” over the club for decades, “arguably perpetually”, Bau said. “I think most people are just wanting to just get on with things and just be able to live their life, train their horses, carry on with what they do.” Hawkins believed that Levin, as a training track, was a surprising target for NZTR and the national body might be overestimating any windfall. Left to right: Committee member Michael Kay, National MP Suze Redmayne, club president Shawn Hawkins and vice president Oliver Bau.BRUCE MACKAY / The Post “I think NZTR thought that Levin was a little gold mine because it's right beside the town. We'd tried to tell them that that's not the case, and we sent them a valuation,” said Hawkins. “They didn't agree with the valuation… they were thinking it's worth tens of millions. It's closer to three or four.” Horse trainer Kevin Myers said locals in the industry relied on Levin and was worried where they would go if the track disappeared, citing ongoing issues at Palmerston North’s Awapuni track. “Every fortnight, they have jumpouts [at Levin], and there's always 15 to 27 heats every time,” he said. “Where are they going to put all those trainers? Most of them don't have their own properties. Where are they going to set them up?” He also questioned what NZTR was doing with any money it had made from surplus venues. “Every time they've sold something, the money’s just diminished.” The local MPs for both Ōtaki, the constituency which covers the course, and neighbouring Rangitikei have both expressed concern for the racing club. Suze Redmayne, the National MP for Rangitikei, said a number of trainers in her electorate used the Levin race track and were “very unhappy” about its possible closure. “The facility is popular amongst trainers due to its central location,” she said. Tim Costley, MP for Ōtaki, said he was waiting for the full facts but was worried about the consequences of a closure. “It sounds concerning. I haven't heard from NZTR about this yet, so I don't know what exactly their proposal is, but from what I've heard from the local racing club, it does sound concerning from their perspective, and I'm keen to support them. He would be “very happy” to speak to NZTR in his capacity as local MP, and said it was “certainly” on his to-do list. Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden said the local council would also advocate for the racecourse’s survival, describing the track as a “signature facility” for the rural township. He was critical of NZTR for swooping in on a small town. “I think this is typical [of a] national organisation imposing themselves on a local organisation who have different aspirations in terms of what they each want to do,” Wanden said. “I don't think there's been enough conversation … around working together in terms of trying to find a solution that may help both.” Levin Racecourse is a “signature facility” for the rural township, says the local mayor.BRUCE MACKAY / The Post The Levin Racing Club had positively contributed to the local community, said Wanden, including selling land to allow for new infrastructure. “They've done a lot of good work in terms of being part of the community and making sure that they’re not only looking after their own interests, but looking after the community's interest. “And that would be sad if that got lost just because of a strategic direction that the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing industry wanted to take.” Club president Hawkins said there are issues with the sustainability of the wider horse racing industry, but that the Levin club was comparatively self-sufficient. “We’ve done pretty well with our asset,” he said. While “everyone else seems to be in financial trouble”, noting ongoing closures at other race facilities in the lower North Island, Levin had excess money in the bank to the tune of about $2 million. He wondered if that had made the venue a “target” for the national body. At the end of the day, he’s worried about what the track’s closure could mean for the people who rely on it. Trainers “winning all the millions” won’t be the ones most affected, he said, comparing Levin Racecourse to a local rugby club. “We're the real grassroots of the whole show, really.” Stewart Sowman-Lund Stewart.SowmanLund@stuff.co.nz Stewart Sowman-Lund is a senior reporter covering politics, pop culture and Auckland issues.

Behind a paywall.

You moaned about the lack of retail promotions. I explained very clearly that ENTAIN can't be blamed for that. Why spend money promoting wagering on aged equipment that you entended to replace. It appears most people understand that that approach makes sense yet it escapes you.

Sorry I don't get the Manawatu Standard delivered so can't comment.

ENTAIN has only been here for just over two years. They inherited a broken retail model with equally broken and aged equipment. They have been steadily upgrading all the equipment. I don't think you can blame for that. No point promoting something that was broken!! Who is bloody stupid? You "laundered the money" so you will be the first contact!