Stranded Rawiller faces toughest of penalties for betting in Hong Kong

Nash Rawiller faces an anxious wait to find out if he will face criminal charges from the Hong Kong ICAC after reportedly having to surrender his passport.

Rawiller was disqualified on Wednesday for 15 months by Hong Kong Jockey Club stewards over betting offences. The penalty is lenient by modern Australian standards, but the 43-year-old is facing the real threat of jail time, which most would consider excessive.

Jockeys in Hong Kong are well aware of the laws about tipping, which saw Australian jockey Chris Munce spend 20 months in jail in 2007.

There is no doubt Rawiller would have known what he was risking when he became mixed up in the current betting scandal, and this will serve as a warning to all jockey in Hong Kong.

Rawiller was detained at Hong Kong airport on Wednesday night as he attempted to return to Australia and spent two days in custody being questioned by the ICAC.

He was released without charge but must stay in Hong Kong while the investigation continues.

Australia strengthened its betting rules after Damien Oliver was only given a nine-month ban in 2012 for having a $10,000 bet on another horse in a race in which he was riding.

That offence now carries a two-year mandatory disqualification.

The Oliver penalty was completely inadequate when compared to the 18 months James McDonald was given under the new rules for a having $1000 bet on a horse he was riding, the subsequent group 1 winner Astern, when it won on debut in 2015 .

McDonald was charged under a similar rule to Rawiller and got three months more on sidelines even after he was given a six-month dispensation for cooperating with stewards.

Australia might have the most severe rules when it comes to jockey betting, but it doesn’t compare to the penalty Rawiller faces of a Hong Kong jail cell.

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and The Sydney Morning Herald