Loss of betting revenue to hit hard when Tasmanian racing finally resumes after shutdown

It will be more if the closure extends beyond the end of May and industry leaders are now fearing the long-term result will be a drastic cut in stakemoney.

Tasmanian Jockeys Association general manager Kevin Ring believes a potentially devastating stakes cut will be "unavoidable" and Tasmanian Trainers Association president Nigel Schuuring says "where stakemoney ends up is our biggest worry."

While racing is shut down, the industry is not earning any revenue from betting turnover. Race field fees amounted to $14.36 million last financial year.

That's an average of almost $1.2 million a month.

The stakemoney that hasn't been paid out during the break can't be used to make up the shortfall - the government took it for the industry assistance package.

So when racing does finally resume - hopefully before the end of the month but there's still no word - it will have $2 million, maybe more, missing from its bank balance.

"I just can't see how a major stakes cut can be avoided - I can't see any alternative whatsoever," Ring said.

Schuuring is slightly more hopeful but said that "the longer this situation goes on, the harder it's going to be (to avoid).

"Tasracing have told us they hope to keep stakes at the same level - at least that's the indication they gave us," he said.

"But where is the money going to come from - it doesn't grow on trees.

"We already do it tough in Tasmania. Even a small cut would be a big concern."

Ring said the failure of Premier Peter Gutwein and director of public health Mark Veitch to even meet with industry leaders was "disgraceful."

"The racing industry is being completely ignored," he said.

"We weren't consulted prior to being shut down and now we've had new bio-security protocols with them for 12 days - more stringent than anywhere in the country - and they still haven't met with us or acknowledged what we have put in place to get racing going again.

"It's like we don't exist."