HORSE RACING

All bets may not be off but with only a couple of weeks left before punters join the annual exodus to Cheltenham, one of the world’s biggest bookies is lamenting the death of the Celtic Tiger.

Victor Chandler has told the Irish Independent that his turnover is down nearly 50% from the highs of 2007 even if the number of bets is up.

“There’s just no money in Ireland. It’s destroyed. The number of bets is better but the business is smashed. We’ve got no big players. Everyone seems to have been damaged.”