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DOUBLE WHAMMY SENDS RCTC INTO A TIZZY

By Epsom Ace | 31 May 2020 | KOLKATA


Lashed mercilessly by cyclone Amphan less than a fortnight ago, The Royal Calcutta Turf Club is struggling to find its feet in the wake of this natural disaster. Coming in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis which led to a truncated cold weather season, RCTC finds its back against the wall in a highly depressing situation. Horse-racing is passing through extremely turbulent times and its future seems uncertain across the country. Club coffers are drying up fast and the only solution seems to lie in ON-LINE betting to avoid breaching social-distancing norms. Other than that, the 400 odd thoroughbreds stabled at Hastings in Kolkata have a bleak future ahead of them, as do the thousands of syces, blue-collar and white-collar workers who earn their daily bread from this wonderful spectator sport.

Racing in Kolkata has a legacy of almost 300 years. The racecourse is one of the major attractions of the city that is of great interest to locals and tourists alike. It is an important element of the city’s social infrastructure and the untimely closure of this glorious landmark due to the Covid-19 threat would indeed be a depressing sight – not only for the racing fraternity of the city but for all proud citizens who value their heritage.  

The industry employs more than a thousand people in the city and a hundred thousand nationally - directly or indirectly. The sport primarily earns its revenue from gate money and commission earned on bets placed by the public, at the race course. There has been a considerable shortfall in totalisator collection after GST has been pumped up to 28 percent. This has led to a growth of illegal bookmakers across the city which has been immensely detrimental to the Club’s interests. 

In the context of Covid-19, and the severe damage suffered by RCTC due the recent cyclone, it is uncertain when racing can resume and even more uncertain when spectators would be permitted to the race course. The sport is therefore placed in a very grim situation of no revenue for several months.  This could lead to a catastrophic scenario for the horses and the 1000 odd families dependent on the sport, as neither the institution nor the owners have the financial ability to sustain paying the heavy costs of maintaining a thoroughbred beyond awhile.

To save these fabulous thoroughbreds from perishing due to a lack of funds, the only possible solution is one which is being followed globally for the sport to remain alive and kicking – and that is ON-LINE betting. The British Horse Racing Association has already given the green light for racing to commence in England and Ireland.

ON-LINE betting will be clean in every sense of the word as it will be transparent. It will also be safe and above all – it will fetch RCTC the necessary revenue the Club needs to stay afloat. The authorities and state government should combine to enable this at the earliest, to save the livelihoods of thousands of staff and 400 spectacular horses.  The revenue gained, would also add to the government’s tax collection. At this difficult time, every pretty penny that winds its way into the state government’s kitty counts.