In a move that is certain to raise eyebrows throughout the racing industry the British Horseracing Authority will announce on Wednesday that a prominent business leader in the bookmaking industry will be the organisation’s next chief executive.
Paul Bittar announced in August he was planning to give up his position at the head of the sport’s ruling body and his replacement will be Nick Rust, the managing director of Ladbrokes’ retail division.
Strained relations between the BHA and bookmakers over the years will inevitably mean many will be opposed to such an appointment. Rust has been involved in the bookmaking industry since 1987, starting at Ladbrokes, progressing through Skybet, where he was managing director, before being appointed head of retail at Coral and then returning to his present employer in 2011.
The BHA is expected to justify the appointment by describing Rust as a longstanding racing fan who knows bookmaking inside out and is, therefore, the ideal person to ensure that racing receives what it needs from the bookmaking industry.
The recent thinking at the BHA is that the future lies in closer co-operation with betting and a move away from the long-established conflict between the two industries. However, Rust’s appointment is likely to be seen by many less as the strengthening of co-operation and more as a final capitulation.
Bittar is expected to remain in his post until early 2015, when it is thought likely that he will return to his native Australia.
