American football fans wanting to bet on the NFL could be out of luck and the TAB out of pocket because the sport's three governing bodies are locked in a power struggle.
The New Zealand TAB cannot legally set odds on any sport not officially recognised by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc).
And Sparc will not recognise American football in New Zealand till it has one official governing body.
It currently has three.
These are the New Zealand American Football Association (NZAFA), Gridiron New Zealand and the National Gridiron League.
They cannot agree on who has control.
This means the TAB may not take bets on the NFL for the first time in six years.
TAB head book maker Pete Young said yesterday the company stood to lose millions of dollars.
"It's a popular sport in terms of turnover and it's growing. It's our eighth biggest sport (out of 25) in terms of betting . . . There will be a lot of disappointed punters."
The TAB usually takes bets on the NFL pre-season, which is already under way. It hopes the matter will be sorted out before the season proper starts on September 4 when the New York Jets play the Washington Redskins.
"It's a bit out of our control at the moment. There's not much we can do. We just hope the organisation gets recognition," Young said.
But Sparc funding manager Roger Wood said yesterday that would not happen till an application was lodged by the official governing body.
"We offered our services to get the three together, but it has not worked out."
Sparc's predecessor the Hillary Commission recognised the NZAFA as the official governing body but Wood said that contract had been in place long before the emergence of competing bodies.
Virtually all other sports had filed an application under new rules introduced last September, Wood said.
The sport in New Zealand is also missing out.
The TAB is required by law to distribute a portion of the turnover and profits from bets taken on a sport back to that sport's governing body.
NZAFA president Leroy Sisnett could not be reached yesterday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2639802a1823,00.html
The New Zealand TAB cannot legally set odds on any sport not officially recognised by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc).
And Sparc will not recognise American football in New Zealand till it has one official governing body.
It currently has three.
These are the New Zealand American Football Association (NZAFA), Gridiron New Zealand and the National Gridiron League.
They cannot agree on who has control.
This means the TAB may not take bets on the NFL for the first time in six years.
TAB head book maker Pete Young said yesterday the company stood to lose millions of dollars.
"It's a popular sport in terms of turnover and it's growing. It's our eighth biggest sport (out of 25) in terms of betting . . . There will be a lot of disappointed punters."
The TAB usually takes bets on the NFL pre-season, which is already under way. It hopes the matter will be sorted out before the season proper starts on September 4 when the New York Jets play the Washington Redskins.
"It's a bit out of our control at the moment. There's not much we can do. We just hope the organisation gets recognition," Young said.
But Sparc funding manager Roger Wood said yesterday that would not happen till an application was lodged by the official governing body.
"We offered our services to get the three together, but it has not worked out."
Sparc's predecessor the Hillary Commission recognised the NZAFA as the official governing body but Wood said that contract had been in place long before the emergence of competing bodies.
Virtually all other sports had filed an application under new rules introduced last September, Wood said.
The sport in New Zealand is also missing out.
The TAB is required by law to distribute a portion of the turnover and profits from bets taken on a sport back to that sport's governing body.
NZAFA president Leroy Sisnett could not be reached yesterday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2639802a1823,00.html
