The British Horseracing Board is delighted to announce that it will be awarding its first three licences for the provision of services to Licensed Betting Offices to Alphameric, BSTV and SIS, subject to contract.

For Alphameric, the licence will cover text and data; for BSTV, pictures, text and data; and for SIS, pictures.

Each of the proposed providers would offer bookmakers an integrated service featuring British horseracing, greyhound racing, numbers betting and overseas horseracing.

BHB is continuing discussions with a number of parties regarding the possible granting of further licences, including SIS in respect of text and data.

BHB has made clear its willingness to conclude a licence with SIS for the provision of text and data services on BHB’s normal commercial terms, which include a requirement for the licensee not to discriminate in its pricing structure. Regrettably to date, SIS has been unable to satisfy BHB that its pricing structure for text and data services meets this requirement.

BHB Managing Director Chris Reynolds said today:

“It is clearly in the interests of BHB and its customers, the betting industry, that horseracing is provided reliably and cost-effectively to LBOs across the length and breadth of the country. It is also desirable that there should be every encouragement and opportunity for innovation in the approach to the presentation of horseracing within LBOs. The best way to achieve this is through the introduction of genuine competition, which BHB is very pleased to be facilitating.”

For further information, please contact BHB Communications Manager Alan Delmonte on 020 7343 3318