08 October 2016 – The Racing Post
The Racing Partnership (TRP), the new betting shop channel which launched last month, has agreed a long-term media rights deal with Paddy Power Betfair which means more than 1,800 shops are now signed up to take the service.
The channel will include meetings from all 15 Arc-owned racecourses and seven independent racecourses from January 2018, although six will leave SIS to be shown on TRP from January 1, including Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton.
The bookmaker’s retail managing director Dan Taylor said: “Paddy Power Betfair is delighted to have entered into this agreement with The Racing Partnership to ensure that customers in all of our shops across Ireland and the UK will continue to see fixtures from TRP racecourses as well as racing from South Africa.”
The major retail bookmakers Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes and William Hill have yet to sign up to TRP, but the addition of more than 600 Paddy Power shops will increase the pressure on them to do so, especially for Ladbrokes in Ireland, where gaming machines are banned.
TRP director mark Kingston said: “This is a significant step for The Racing Partnership as it continues to establish itself in the market.
“As one of the leading operators in the UK and Ireland we’re delighted to have agrees a deal with Paddy Power Betfair. This follows strong take-up from independents in both the UK and Ireland.”