But to the racetracks it\u2019s about more than just crafty gamblers gaining the upper hand. According to Arena Racing Company (ARC), which own 16 courses across the UK including Southwell, it\u2019s a question of broadcasting rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe broadcast rights of our live action are a key part of our business, as with any sporting venue, so we consider this unauthorized filming and broadcast as theft,\u201d an ARC spokesman told the BBC. \u201cThe use of drones for commercial purposes is rightly very heavily controlled by the Civil Aviation Authority and any unauthorized use in this instance potentially has further safety and regulatory implications.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
But the spokesman also admitted that because the drones are generally being piloted from areas where the public has right of way — on the perimeter of land owned by the tracks — there\u2019s currently very little they can do to stop them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Horses for Courses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Daily Mail<\/em> managed to track down a man who claimed to be responsible for around half of the recent drone sightings. He agreed with that assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI\nwill send pictures to whoever I want to. It won\u2019t be up to the racecourses,\u201d\nbragged the pilot, who the DM<\/em> referred\nto as \u201cMick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt\nis my copyright, my pictures, my camera,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe racecourse can try\nto stop me, but they will find that legally very hard without any cameras\ncoming into the racecourse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, The Guardian\u2019s<\/em> racing correspondent\u00a0Greg Wood, had a different take on the matter, calling the racetracks out on hypocrisy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n“[The tracks] make money by allowing people to sit in [hospitality] boxes, who are given a dedicated internet feed and are able to watch the racing live and bet via a fast internet connection,\u201d said Wood. “They are selling that two-second delay and people are willing to pay thousands of pounds a year.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
British racetracks are calling for a ban on the unauthorized use of drones during races, which they say gamblers are using to gain a split-second edge for betting on horses. \u00a0 Track officials say the unmanned aerial vehicles are beaming images of races seconds ahead of TV broadcasts which allows the drone-user a serious advantage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":96488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14577,16693],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
UK Racetracks Fly into Rage Over \u2018Betting Drones that Give Gamblers the Edge<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n