THE Minister for Finance has clarified that funding for Irish racing does not come from betting tax receipts.

Each year the Government determines the amount paid to Horse Racing Ireland [HRI] to administer the sport by allocating a sum from central funding to the Horse & Greyhound Racing Fund, and this amount is then divided in an 80:20 ratio between HRI and Greyhound Racing Ireland. The funding is paid to HRI by the Department of Agriculture and this year’s grant will be just short of €80 million.

In 2023 the Football Association of Ireland [FAI] wrongly claimed that horse racing and greyhound racing received 100% of betting tax receipts and called for the funds to be allocated across a wider range of sporting bodies.

Although the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar rejected the FAI’s call, the flawed basis of the FAI report was unchallenged by the mainstream media and continues to be cited by public figures.

Earlier this month in Dáil Eireann, Sinn Fein TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Finance “if consideration has been given to spreading the monies the Exchequer has currently ringfenced from the betting tax for the greyhound and horse racing industries to other sports on which bets are placed.”

Minister Paschal Donohoe replied: “The Deputy should note that from 2001-2008 the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund received a guaranteed level of funding each year, which was based on betting duty receipts from the preceding year, subject to a minimum level based on the year 2000 amount, adjusted for inflation.

“However, in 2009, a policy change was made whereby the annual payment to the Fund was no longer to be automatically calculated by reference to the previous year’s betting duty. This policy change was outlined in the Budget 2009 “Summary of Budget Measures”.

“As a result, the position is now as is the case with other tax heads, that revenue arising from betting duty accrues to the Exchequer and the amount allocated to the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund is decided as part of the annual estimates process, overseen by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

“In summary, therefore, there is no hypothecation/ringfencing of betting duty receipts to the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. This means that it is not possible to use these monies specifically for other sports on which bets are placed. Funding for these other sports must be allocated through the same general annual estimates process.”

A statement on HRI’s website confirms the Minister’s point. It states: “There is no direct link between betting duty, the Horse & Greyhound Fund and prize money.”

Total prize money for Irish racing in 2025 is expected to be close to €71 million and approximately 60% of that is funded by the State. The remainder comes from entry fees, commercial sponsors and the Irish EBF.