PTC Pullout: Lee Shim Takes a Beating at High-Level Meeting

The announcement of the impending closure of the People’s Turf Club (PTC) at the Champ de Mars has sent shockwaves throughout the horse racing community.

However, a closer examination revealed that this decision is the result of growing tensions between Jean-Michel Lee Shim, a gaming mogul, and the government.

In 2019, Lee Shim’s efforts to support the Mauritian Socialist Movement (MSM) during the general election campaign did not go unnoticed.

He contributed Rs 10 million to the MSM’s campaign and also set up a extensive logistics network through his non-governmental organization, Solidarité Marye Pike (SMP). His message to his SMP workers was clear: “To the polls, citizens!”

The goal was to prevent the opposition party, the Labour Party (PTr), from winning the elections.

Lee Shim explicitly told his team that a PTr victory would be disastrous for him and his collaborators, resulting in inevitable job losses.

The MSM’s victory represented a golden opportunity for Lee Shim and his associates. Immediately after the election, Lee Shim’s camp outlined their plans for the Champ de Mars, aiming to challenge the Mauritius Turf Club (MTC).

However, their ambitions were thwarted by an unexpected crisis: COVID-19. The pandemic forced Lee Shim to reassess his plans, and he informed his closest collaborators that the country would be in lockdown indefinitely.

Conscious of the economic implications, Lee Shim launched an e-commerce strategy, buying millions of rupees’ worth of goods and creating an online supermarket called SMS.Mu.

Two years later, he returned to the forefront of the horse racing scene. Amendments to the Finance Bill greatly benefited Lee Shim, and several previously unnoticed amendments were passed without opposition.

The organization supported by Lee Shim was granted carte blanche to operate international horse racing, while Lee Shim’s true intentions were likely focused on the Champ de Mars.

In 2022, the People’s Turf Club Ltd entered the horse racing scene, aiming to organize races and push the MTC into second place.

Despite public outcry and disagreements over control of the PTC, Lee Shim secured control of the Champ de Mars.

Convinced of his influence over the government, Lee Shim and his associates ignored criticism. However, government officials were closely monitoring the situation.

The exit of several prominent stables (Gujadhur, Maingard, Merven) and a decline in racing revenues were observed, although no official decision was made against Lee Shim.

According to official figures, tax revenues from horse racing plummeted from Rs 506 million in 2020-2021 to Rs 390 million in the subsequent year.

By May 16, 2024, revenues had dropped to Rs 282 million. This situation was deemed catastrophic by the Ministry of Finance, which had already begun to tighten its grip on Lee Shim’s organization.

The PTC had requested new amendments to the GRA Act, including permission to take bets on races and a reduction in import duties for horses from South Africa.

These requests were rejected. However, it was during a high-level meeting last week that PTC officials realized they had been abandoned by the government.

According to hearsays, the government told PTC officials that the situation at Champ de Mars could no longer be tolerated, particularly in light of upcoming elections.

The lack of enthusiasm for horse racing had inevitably led to a disinterest among Mauritian citizens. As a result, we learned that PTC has announced its intention to withdraw from organizing races.

The presence of Jean-Michel Lee Shim is perceived as a heavy weight for the MSM approaching general elections.

Source: Defi Media