Racing must capitalise on the growth of internet betting There is no doubt that 'betting in running" is the fastest growing area with punters. And the penetration of modern devices will only accelerate that trend. You can be certain that more and more people will begin to bet 'on the hoof" using tablets and smart phones. But they will want to watch the race live whilst they are on the move. So it would be a very brave - or stupid - gaming operator who turned their back on live pictures. If the punter has a choice of betting with an operator who can stream live action, rather than delayed pictures, it is pretty obvious who they'll conduct their business with. But can betting operators afford to pay a premium price for such a product? Well certainly the offshore based ones can. They are currently ducking paying 10¾ per cent of their profits to the Levy fund - with the exception of Betfair, who pay voluntarily. But in reality, they can afford to pay much more than that. There are always hidden consequences to be taken into account when one shakes up the status quo. But one positive knock-on effect might be that this delay in picture broadcasting would persuade more people to go racing. Because that is where the fastest pictures get delivered. The time margin advantage for in-running players using the tracks" closed circuit televisions is huge. My estimation is that punters there can see what is happening about seven strides before their sit-at-home counterparts. Unfair? No more unfair than the Rothschilds having faster horses, or was it pigeons, than everyone else in the old days. Which meant they got the information before the markets. Talking of unfairness, how gratifying it was last week to see the erratic Gambling Commissioner of Gibraltar cave in and clear the way for Betfred.com finally to pay out £823,000 in winning bets to UK citizens - 888sport also paid out £28,000. This whole affair has highlighted how helpless the Government is to protect the interests of its citizens if they bet with bookmakers who are unlicensed in this country. It is also incredibly embarrassing for the Government that Fred Done, to whom they sold the Tote, took advantage of their lack of jurisdiction in Gibraltar and hid behind the outrageous initial ruling of the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, when companies such as Ladbrokes did not. It is galling to see these operators advertising in the United Kingdom from their offshore bases; there is still a bookmaker, who was based in Malta, that has not paid out on the bet. It is also a total failure of duty of care by the Government. Shuffling this issue to the back of the legislators" queue is no longer acceptable.