IFHA Conferenceโฃ Tacklesโ Growthโค of โIllegal Betting, Future of Racing Marketing
LEXINGTON,โข KY – The โขInternationalโค Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA)โฃ conference, “Racing Wagering &โ marketing,โ what Today’s Customersโ Wontโข and What the Future Holds,” recently concluded, addressing critical issues facingโ the globalโ horse racing industry, including the escalatingโข threat of illegal โbettingโ and evolving consumer preferences.
The conferenceโฃ featured insights from industry โคleaders including Tony Allevato, โchief revenue officer and president, NYRA Bets; Felicity Barnard, CEO, Ascot Racecourse; Drew Fleming, president and CEO, โBreeders’ Cup โLtd; Pablo Kavulakian, president,โ American Racingโค Channel; and atsushi Kikuta, director of international affairs, Japan Racing Association.
Barnard expressed optimism about theโค sport’s potential, stating, โฃ”I can assure you that I have absolute faith and optimism in the growth of this โsport, andโข I think there is a huge potential internationally. I think we are doing lotsโ of thingsโฃ right,but I think weโข could do a โlot โขof things better,together.” Allevato similarly emphasized โthe industry’sโ capabilities,โ saying, “Sometimes, we don’t โgive ourselves enough credit. If we all can takeโ a step back, look at whatโ we are doing, trust ourselves, and know that we are creative. We can get horse racing to get to the next level. I truly believe that.”
A dedicated session โฃfocused on “Growth of theโข Illegal Betting Market and Tackling Challenges โคin Bettingโ Regulation.”โ panelists included Tom Chignell, consultant on integrity projects, Hong Kong Jockey Club; Brantโค Dunshea, acting CEO,โ British Horseracing Authority; Luca Esposito, executiveโ director, World Lotteryโฃ Association; Martin Purbrick,โข chair โof the IFHA Council on Anti-illegal Betting and Related Crime; โขand Vincent Ven, head of anti-match-fixing, Union of European Football Associations.
Ven highlighted theโข common challenges facedโข across sports regarding integrity and stressed the importance of participantโข education and stakeholder collaboration.โ
The conference also included presentations fromโข ben Cleminson, โCEO of Square in the Air, on โinnovation in sports and horseโ racing, โand Salem binmahfooz, chairman adviser and technicalโ committee member of โฃtheโค Jockey Club of Saudiโข arabia, who โฃprovided โdetails on the 41st Asianโฃ Racing โConference,โ scheduled โขfor Riyadhโค in February 2026.
Replays โคof the โฃlive video stream and presentations will be made available in the coming days.