Victory for turf TV in battle with bookies

The open warfare in the betting industry took another turn today after a case brought by the big bookmakers to kill a new television horseracing service was thrown out by a high Court judge.

Mr Justice Morgan ruled that the launch of Turf TV by a group of the most prestigious racecourses in england and technology company Alphameric had not broken competition law.

The news sent shares in Turf TV's 50%-owner Alphameric galloping up 28% or 5p to 22"p. however, the infighting in the notoriously internecine industry is not yet finished.

Turf TV is counter-suing the bookmakers, claiming they acted in collusion or as a cartel in a bid to strangle Turf TV at birth.

A ruling on the counter-claim, which could see the bookmakers having to pay several million pounds in costs and compensation, is expected next month.

Last year, Turf TV backed by more than half the country's 59 courses led by the likes of Ascot, Newmarket, Cheltenham and Aintree, broke the betting shop racing pictures monopoly of SIS - Satellite Information Services, coowned by the big bookies.

The notion that the big bookmakers like Ladbrokes and William hill would have to pay a new supplier for the best racing caused a revolt and the litigation that led to an eight-week high Court case and today's ruling.

In reality, Turf TV has already become established as, one-by-one, last winter the leading bookmaking firms caved in to take Turf TV's pictures which cost them £6500 a year per betting shop on top of the charges of SIS which come in at around £10,000 per shop per annum.

"This is good news for us and for the betting shop experience of the punter," said Turf TV chairman Alan Morcombewho is also chief executive of Alphameric.

"The high Court has ruled that we were entitled to enter this market and we believe this is a mandate for us to deliver even better services."

Turf TV expects to be profitable by 2010 on expected revenues from the nation's 10,500 betting shops of around £65 million.

"We are disappointed with the ruling," said a spokesman for Ladbrokes.