THE rift between sections of the Racing Victoria Limited board and the powerful Victorian Owners Association widened yesterday when owners chairman, Andrew Lafontaine, delivered one of the fiercest attacks on RVL since it was formed more than a decade ago, reports The Age.It says: Lafontaine has demanded that RVL disclose ''legal advice and other relevant information used by RVL to justify its much-criticised deal to charge corporate bookmakers a product fee based on gross profits rather than re
THE rift between sections of the Racing Victoria Limited board and the powerful Victorian Owners Association widened yesterday when owners chairman, Andrew Lafontaine, delivered one of the fiercest attacks on RVL since it was formed more than a decade ago, reports The Age.
It says: Lafontaine has demanded that RVL disclose ''legal advice and other relevant information used by RVL to justify its much-criticised deal to charge corporate bookmakers a product fee based on gross profits rather than revenue''.
Since the Federal Court's decision in Racing NSW's favour last week, the Victorian industry has been in uproar over the direction this state has taken.
The dispute is also becoming an election-eve embarrassment for the state government with the opposition claiming that Racing Minister Rob Hulls and RVL chairman Michael Duffy had failed the racing industry.
''We have been asking for this information for some time but RVL CEO Rob Hines and chairman Michael Duffy have refused to provide it. Now Hines is saying he will commission an independent report on the benefits of each model,'' Lafontaine said. ''Firstly, we do not trust this process and want the raw data so we can make our own independent assessment. Secondly, why are we going to pay more money to consultants and further delay charging corporate bookmakers a proper product fee?''
It is also understood that since the Federal Court announcement, the RVL board has also been divided on what course to take. The Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners' Association is the single most powerful group in Victorian racing and has the power to lobby thousands of members.