Mr. Brian Kavanagh:

It is international money a lot of the time, which is important.

I was asked about the betting and I gave figures earlier. About half the total betting is in shops and about half of it is online. Within the shops, approximately 70% of the betting is on horses and dogs and with about 30% on other activities. Online it is about 50:50. At times there is a perception that it is not all betting on horses and dogs but the point one has to remember is that golf betting is sporadic. There are only four majors a year, whereas horseracing and greyhound racing are every day. It is a 365 day a year offering. It is the staple product of the betting industry. It is about 70:30 in shops and about 50:50 online.

We have a lot of challenges in staffing. Trainers and breeders are struggling to get and to keep staff. We are trying to invest in programmes that will help them acquire staff, and we are engaged with the Department of the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to try to assist in improving the pipeline of staff within the industry. Our staff numbers are broadly similar. There are about 180 staff, including in the subsidiaries. Horse Racing Ireland has three subsidiaries: HRI Racecourses Limited, which operates four racecourses, the Tote and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. Between those subsidiaries and Horse Racing Ireland itself, there are about 180 staff working out of Ballymany, and that is probably about four or five up on the situation three or four years ago. The extra areas that have required investment are increased compliance requirements in areas like procurement and purchasing. As I said, we have invested staff in the whole education and welfare of people and welfare of horses. The staff are the backbone of the organisation, are very committed to the industry and are mostly based locally in Kildare. We run, as I said, the back-of-office of elements of racecourses like Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Tipperary and Navan. They are run out of the headquarters in Kildare.

The Tote is a different form of betting. It is a pool form of betting. We are having a strategic look at the Tote anyway. The Tote pays gambling regulatory charges for betting that it does on UK betting, and I know there is talk about a new gambling regulator in Ireland. One of the issues being looked at is the taxation status of the Tote. The Tote is suffering the same struggles as on-course bookmakers, to which Deputy Cahill referred, and we are in discussions with a number of parties with regard to the future of the Tote and we will be bringing some strategic options to our December board meeting on it. The taxation system is different. It is a pool betting where an element is taken out and the rest is returned back to punters. Should the Tote pay 2%? I do not believe it should because it is a different type of betting. With the establishment of a new gambling regulator, that may be something that will be looked at differently.