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About the NZ Racing Board
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About the NZ Racing Board |
Introducing the New Zealand Racing Board
The New Zealand Racing Board is the organisation behind all New Zealand racing and betting. Bet on the gallops, trots or greyhounds, take a punt on the All Blacks or the US baseball, go to a raceday - and through the NZ Racing Board, part of your betting dollar is contributing towards New Zealand racing or sport.
The NZ Racing Board is the co-ordination point for:
The TAB - which runs all betting on racing and sport in new Zealand
The three racing codes -
The Judicial Control Authority - the legal body that administers the rules of racing and conducts inquiries into breaches of the rules, for all three racing codes.
The NZ Racing Board is charged under statute to operate the industry to the benefit of these many diverse members, and the thousands of people who derive their livelihood from it. Under the Racing Act 2003, the responsibilities of the NZ Racing Board are to:
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Run the TAB, New Zealand's sole provider of betting on racing and sport
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Maximise betting profits for the long-term good of New Zealand racing
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Promote the racing industry.
The Board itself comprises seven Members, drawn from the three racing codes and from top non-racing professionals in the commercial sphere.
The Racing Industry
When it was set up in August 2003, one of the NZ Racing Board's first tasks was to commission a study of the size of the industry and its impact on the New Zealand economy. It found that racing:
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generates some 1.3% of New Zealand's gdp - around $1.5bn per year
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creates some 18,300 full time jobs, generating more than $679m in salaries and wages. That's the figure, measured in "full time equivalents"
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generates more than $130m in export sales of horses
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holds more than 780 race meetings a year, attended by more than 1.04m customers.
The Betting Dollar
The New Zealand Racing Board derives its income from the betting revenue of the TAB.
Just over 80 percent of the betting dollar is returned to the customer. The rest is returned to the racing and sporting codes, after tax and Racing Board costs are paid.
For details of figures, turn to the Annual Reports on this website.
Major initiatives are under way to increase Racing Board efficiencies and increase the funding returned to the industry.
Industry Initiatives
These initiatives aim to revitalise the racing industry and improve its performance, through projects addressing a range of issues at every level of the industry, from paddock to racetrack to clubroom to TAB agency and NZ Racing Board offices. The initiatives include:
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Boosting the entertainment factor at the racecourse
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Setting the Racing Calendar, scheduling racing year-round to maximise its entertainment value and profitability
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Improving customer facilities at racing venues
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Harnessing new technology to meet customer and industry needs
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Fostering more and wider ownership of racehorses and greyhounds
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Benchmarking racing clubs and events against best practice, to achieve best performance
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Containing costs and increasing efficiencies - within the NZRB itself, and also industry-wide
Where we are and What we do - NZ Racing Board and the TAB
The NZ Racing Board is headquartered in Petone, 15km north of Wellington, and a kilometre or two from the first ever thoroughbred meeting recorded in New Zealand. It took place on Petone beach in 1862.
Our National Office on Jackson Street also houses New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and New Zealand Greyhound Racing.
We also have offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Operationally, the vast majority of our personnel run the many facets of the TAB - scheduling daily racing for customers in New Zealand and Australia, getting raceform into major daily newspapers around the country, selling bets, running betting through a continually advancing dedicated computer system, Jetbet, and broadcasting racing and industry news on our own national TV channel and radio station.
TAB Betting Channels
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Betting at racetracks on raceday
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A national network of streetfront and social venue betting shops, one of New Zealand's largest retail networks
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A national chain of call centres. The Phonebet centres handle more operator-assisted calls than any other New Zealand call centre
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New Zealand's only betting website, www.tab.co.nz
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A touch tone phone betting service
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Interactive betting on SKY digital TV
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Other betting channels exploiting emerging new technologies are in development.
TAB Betting Products
The TAB initiated the world's first Government-run totalisator betting service in 1951. Today a growing range of tote bet types is on offer, from win, place and each way to Poker and All Up bets, Easybets where the computer picks the runners, weighted towards the favourites, and Percentage betting to cut the cost of getting in on the action.
In 1996 it added fixed odds betting to its stable when the TAB began sports betting. Now 26 sporting codes are covered including matches and fixtures around the world, from rugby, soccer and cricket to shearing. As with race betting, a proportion of every betting dollar is returned to the New Zealand sporting code on which the bet is taken. The choice of sports betting products included head to head, half / full time double, winning team and margin, and more.
Fixed odds betting is also available on racing, through Futures books, and Final Field.
TAB Broadcast Channels
The Trackside TV channel launched in 1992 and broadcasts every race the TAB takes betting on - including all New Zealand events plus daily racing from Australia, and key races from Hong Kong and other international venues. Trackside is free to air on UHF, and also broadcasts on SKY digital, channel 35. Full details of the viewing schedule are at www.tab.co.nz .
Radio Trackside is a national racing radio network broadcasting wall to wall racing, racing news, talk and information. For your local frequency, click here
Radio BSport is New Zealand's first dedicated Sport and Racing Network for the sports purist. For you local frequency, click here
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The Board
