“A few days ago I saw a science fiction film, one of those apocalyptic films, set in a future in which man lives in a highly technological and digital world, but in a destroyed, desertified and hostile environment. If on the one hand there was the exaltation of technology and artificial intelligence, on the other there was the destruction of our habitat in which water, food and minimal living conditions were scarce, with the consequent certain extinction of the 'man. This dichotomy of the virtual world from the real one made me think of our beloved equestrian world. From traditional betting, the lifeblood for us, we quickly moved on to online betting or today to virtual betting. The reference to a film might seem strange, but given the situation I think the comparison is very fitting. The equine world, with its heritage of 450.000 horses, requires space and nature to exist, which translates into a very significant slice of the Italian territory. An area which, taking into account the production of hay, straw, oats, barley and paddocks, is estimated at at least 6.000 square km, that is, almost as large as an Italian region. This involves the need for manpower, as it is a non-mechanisable job, and is fundamental and more necessary than ever to contribute to the protection of the territory. The protection of landscape and natural aspects, agricultural and green spaces to be preserved are the present in a world that is working to find measures against the consequences of climate change in which the hydrogeological instability of the territory costs us resources and unfortunately tragedies. In short, fundamental and decisive themes for our future. I am not against modernity, nor are Italian breeders, but we believe that in the right balance of a supply chain and a sector economy it is essential that virtual betting contributes with a small withdrawal to the protection of the horses and the men who work on them , nature and our future. Today more than ever it would be a serious responsibility to prefer the statistics and numbers of the game without giving absolute importance to the social and environmental impact of the horse racing world. It would mean making our children live in a horrendous reality instead of allowing them to continue living happily watching a film."
This was stated by the President of the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, Roberto Toniatti, a few hours after the start of the round table organized by Ige 2024 which will see the heads of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Customs and Monopolies Agency, operators of gaming and racecourses.
