Simon,

Your link (or the ABC's) covers a 2017 study commissioned by the Family Services people following Barry O'Farrell's Commonwealth investigation into online gaming etc. Nothing wrong with it but it is very preliminary and incomplete.

Essentially, it obtained limited intelligence from a small number of punters and operators who were all pretty skilled at diving around the traps and overseas trying to get a bet on.

So much for the mechanics. What it did not address was the bigger picture what is the impact on the racing industry as a whole or on parts of it? And how are the thousands of everyday modest punters getting on (most of whom will be losers)?

IF you divide by the number you first thought of you will find that the greyhound market is stuffed because TAB pools are too small for good betting and the corporates will rip you off via bad prices or punitive conditions (they make no bones about it).

The trots are dying anyway and the gallops are not much affected because of the huge size of their pools and their political leverage.

Nothing will fix this situation short of nationalising the pools, installing consumer-sensitive rules and over-riding the NT governments sham controls over the corporates. Heaven knows how that can be brought about but it is a million to one about racing authorities cranking into action. Only a farsighted politician could do it much as they deregulated airlines and banks.