Now sport England wants it's cut

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Pauline Lindsay

The recent letter written by UK Minister of Sport Gerry Sutcliffe to bookmakers suggesting a voluntary contribution to Sport England popped into the headlines this week, with the Remote Gaming Association suggesting that full consultation with both the offline and online industry may have been a better initial approach.

The Guardian newspaper reported that Britain's Labour government has proposed the creation of a fund that would lead to bookmakers handing over millions in voluntary contributions to Sport England for reinvestment in grassroots sport.

Describing the proposal as 'ill conceived', RGA chief Clive Hawkswood told The Guardian it could put Sport England in "an untenable position with no prospect of success" by asking for a solution by the end of December 2009.

"If any sort of voluntary scheme is to work fairly and effectively then it needs the support of the wider industry and neither the online or offline sectors have been consulted as a group," the trade association executive said.

According to the Guardian report, Sutcliffe wants bookies "...to move relatively quickly to an agreement" with contribution figures in the letter suggesting a range between GBP 5 million and GBP 10 million.