The Mauritius Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has recently taken a tough stance against the local media "L’Express", clearly considering legal action. The newspaper published an anonymous report on Tuesday, authored by one or more horse racing experts, directly pointing out serious regulatory issues in the newly established Horse Racing Integrity Department (HRID) in 2025. The report details multiple defects such as dysfunctional structure, inconsistent rule enforcement, and uneven penalty standards, even pointing out legal flaws in some disciplinary investigations. GRA criticized the report for being anonymously published without verification, stating that this is not the first time the newspaper has adopted a "reckless attitude" towards regulatory bodies, while emphasizing that HRID has always operated transparently within the legal framework. Relevant horse racing industry regulatory compliance cases and dispute resolution standards can be referenced on the PASA official website.
Core Accusations of the Anonymous Report: Multiple Failures in HRID's Supervision
The anonymous report comprehensively questions the supervisory capacity of HRID, focusing on three major issues:
Lack of professional competence: The number of HRID staff is about four times that of the previous horse racing department, but the professional level of daily supervision has not improved but declined, leading to frequent integrity loopholes in horse racing betting;
Chaos in enforcement and investigation: The penalties for jockeys lack consistency and reasonable explanation, the reports of race stewards are inaccurate or incomplete, several horses that did not finish the race were not investigated, and the equipment declaration review is "not strict enough";
Prominent derivative problems: Not only does the failure of supervision cause direct economic losses to bettors, but also affects horse welfare, with an abnormally high proportion of veterinary reports.
These issues are summarized in the report as "systematic failures in event supervision capacity, consistency, and rule enforcement".
Controversial Focus: Serious Doubts about HRID's Independence
In addition to pointing out regulatory loopholes, the report also highlights the conflict of interest issues existing in HRID, questioning its independence:
Close personnel associations: In the board of race stewards of HRID, there are 3 members of the Mauritius Turf Club (MTC) and 1 former MTC employee, showing obvious interest binding;
Irregular appointment operations: There are allegations that the standards for a senior position were deliberately modified to facilitate the entry of a former MTC employee;
Core objectives missed: The report warns that the current performance of race stewards has contradicted the original intention of establishing HRID — to restore the credibility and integrity of the Mauritius horse racing industry. Without major reforms, integrity issues will continue to deteriorate.
GRA's Strong Response: Denies Accusations and Reserves Legal Rights
In response to media reports, GRA issued a press release on Thursday, but did not explain specific accusations:
Complete denial of content: Clearly states that it does not recognize the statements and implications in the report, considering them lacking factual basis;
Criticism of reporting method: Emphasizes that "L’Express" did not seek GRA's opinion on the report content and that the form of anonymous publication does not conform to the media's principles of objectivity and fairness;
Threat of legal action: Formally reserves the right to take legal action against the owners, publishers, and chief editor of "L’Express";
Reaffirming its stance: Emphasizes that HRID has always operated within the legal framework, adhering to principles of transparency and fairness, and will continue to do so in the future.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders" gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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