What does harness racing look like in the future?

Once a thriving sport in Australia, there can be no doubt that harness racing has experienced a downturn in fortunes in recent decades.

That’s down to a number of factors. Perhaps chief among them is that harness racing, which always owned the night, found itself swamped by the huge number of sporting events that have been moved to primetime to accommodate television. When the sun goes down, focus now shifts to the footy and even thoroughbred racing rather that the trots.

Nevertheless, the sport punches on and will continue to do so. Maintaining a strong presence across all Australian states, harness governing bodies continue to drive innovations to attract people to the sport and build the lifeline that funds the sport: the punting dollar.

Another important factor in the future of harness racing is integrity. In recent years, the sport has been hit by an increasing number of scandals relating to race results and betting activity. The sport recognises that in order to attract new fans, it must ensure all punters get a fair run for their money.

New measures need to be implemented to give punters confidence in a sport that relies on the flow of betting money to sustain its foundations and keep the industry running.