Minister sounds out region on TAB

Racing and Gaming Minister Colin Holt has vowed to ensure regional areas will not be forgotten in any potential sale of the State Government-owned TAB.

At a consultation forum in Albany on Friday, Mr Holt spoke to concerned stakeholders in the Great Southern racing industry about the current situation surrounding the WA TAB.

The Government recently raised the possibility of selling the TAB in the future, a decision that has attracted varied support.

There were representatives from the Albany Racing Club, Mt Barker Turf Club and Albany Harness Racing Club in attendance at the forum.

Mr Holt raised several points when discussing the TAB, including the effect corporate bookmakers were having and his willingness to get the best possible outcome for everybody involved in racing at a regional level.

"People are always a bit cautious around the sale of the TAB," he said.

"It is a new world and there is much more competition for the wagering dollar.

"I think we have to have a good look at it (the sale of the TAB)."

Mr Holt said the sessions were designed to help him formulate an idea of what stakeholders' thoughts and concerns were if a sale were to go ahead.

"People are always a little sceptical and there are varying degrees of opinion out there," he said.

"I hope people got some value out of it.

"I am trying to gather information from the people in the industry so that if an offer is put on the table I can present the views of the industry and we can make an informed decision."

As it stands, Mr Holt said there had been no offer made to purchase the WA TAB but he expected one to be submitted in the near future.

Issues raised by people at the forum included what benefit the industry would get out of a potential sale, whether the distribution of funds back into the industry could be guaranteed and whether outer provincial tracks would be able to survive if a sale went ahead.

Doubts were also raised about how successful the selling of the State TABs had been in South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.

It was also highlighted that the lingering doubt surrounding the position of the TAB was having a widespread effect on the industry, with trainers and owners reluctant to buy horses at recent sales.

Four licensed thoroughbred trainers attended the forum - leading Albany trainer Steve Wolfe, ARC president and trainer Mark Nelson, Wayne McGlade and Trevor Kiddie.