Racing`s rulers are calling for a crackdown on criminal activity in the sport as part of an overhaul of the gambling industry.
The Jockey Club wants the Government to change the criminal laws in relation to horseracing and for greater regulation of betting.
It highlights claims from a major layer that the level of illegal bookmaking is currently more than #1 billion per year and that betting and racing are being used for money laundering purposes.
The worrying facts were revealed as the Jockey Club made public its submission to the Gambling Review Body set up by the Government to bring about a major review of gambling legislation.
The key recommendation in the Jockey Club`s submission is that a single regulatory body be appointed for gambling.
The submission also includes calls for:
:: Betting organisations to provide information to the regulatory body concerning betting activity on particular events under scrutiny.
::Regulation of the relationships between betting organisations and people able to affect the outcome of sporting events.
::Betting organisations to adopt money laundering compliance regulations.
::More substantive criminal offences to be introduced relating to such things as the doping of horses and greyhounds; bribery of sports competitors and officials; corruption in racing and other sports.
::A dedicated police unit to cover gambling matters and corruption in sport.
::The Jockey Club to have access to criminal records.
Christopher Spence, the senior steward of the Jockey Club, said: 'British horseracing deserves its reputation for staging racing which is straight and honest. Actual cases of corruption or attempts at race-fixing are rare but, as with any sport where there is betting, racing is vulnerable to criminal activity.
'Indeed horseracing and betting are inextricably linked and both require firm regulation.'
