Rabat – Director General of Morocco’s Royal Society of Horse Encouragement (SOREC) Omar Skalli said that Moroccans love horses and horse racing, adding that his organization will work to host more events for the growing demand.
Skalli stated that more than 4,000 people attended the Africa Grand Prix for horse racing, which was held in Marrakech on Saturday, and was organized by SOREC in partnership with the African Lotteries Association (ALA).
“We don’t really need to raise awareness, because Moroccans as you can imagine are close to the horse and love horse racing,” the official told Morocco World News (MWN) on Saturday.
“Our work was and will be more about the venues to host the general public,” he added. “We have to host them with quality, and also with some animation.”
SOREC has already been able to capitalize on the popular sport in Morocco by drawing bigger crowds and more betting participants to its events.
The event also presents an opportunity for SOREC to help develop the industry in Africa at large, with Skalli saying that his organization occupies a unique space as a betting operator.
“In Africa, the betting operator is a separate company or body than the racing organization,” he detailed. “In Morocco we have something very important, where SOREC is the host racing organizer but also the betting operator.”
The model allows SOREC to reinvest the earnings from bettings into its facilities and events, and has enabled it to pursue increased success in the field, garnering positive feedback even from European partners.
Marrakech hosted the 12th edition of the Africa Grand Prix for horse racing on Saturday, making for the second consecutive edition held in Morocco. The event featured six races and attendance from African delegations.
Read also: Marrakech Grand Prix Shows off Moroccan, African Horse Racing Capabilities
