The latest amendments to the Local Rules of Racing in NSW, announced by Racing NSW on Wednesday, represent both good and bad news for on course punters.

The good news is that Racing NSW has agreed to formally allow punters to bring laptops on course. Not that there was anything illegal about it before, but it’s good for punters to have certainty.

The bad news is that Racing NSW has imposed a set of conditions for on course internet access that are so restrictive, and will be so costly for punters to comply with, that it makes the approval basically worthless.

In essence, the net effect of the NSW rule changes is that the plight of NSW punters just got worse.

Some of the conditions Racing NSW has decided to include in their “internet access” approval process rival anything the Chinese government could come up with as part of its internet censorship policy. They include requirement for punters to:

• allow Racing NSW to install special monitoring software on the laptop;

• only use the approved laptop when on a NSW thoroughbred race course;

• only use the laptop to access approved wagering websites (i.e. no racing information sites and no emails); and

• pay Racing NSW an unspecified annual monitoring fee.

Racing NSW must realise that these conditions are virtually impossible for most punters to comply with. How many average punters can afford to go out and buy a special laptop that will only be used to bet with approved wagering operators while they’re at a NSW thoroughbred race meeting?

The background to this rule change is that in October 2007 the ARB (with a little prodding from the ACCC) revoked the ban on using betting exchanges on course. Since then, there have effectively been no restrictions on punters bringing laptops on to race courses. And I’m not aware of any integrity or other issues caused by punters taking advantage of what is virtually now a basic civil right.

I can only imagine that Racing NSW will attempt to justify the new rules by saying they’re necessary to protect the integrity of the sport. Integrity is critically important but I’m not aware of any concerns having been expressed by stewards in any state as a result of punters bringing laptops to race courses over the past few years.

The key to protecting in integrity in racing is transparency. In this respect, all approved wagering operators are required to give Racing NSW stewards access to their betting records and customer details. So the stewards already have access to all the information they need. Why do they need to overlay a restrictive and costly process on punters to collect the same information?

In any event, a large and rapidly increasing number of punters have mobile phones with both voice and data capability. You can now do more over a smart phone than you can do on a laptop. So what’s the point of the rule? Or is it merely the start of a more radical censorship plan for on course punters?

As long as these new local rules of racing remain in place, Racing NSW will be giving its core funding base – the punters – yet another reason to stay away from NSW race courses. In an environment where punters already have plenty of attractive alternatives to spending a day at the races, how can these rules be in the best interests of the sport?