The gloves are coming off in the war of Australian gambling operators against in-play betting.

Aussie media outlet The Australian reported that an informal coalition, composed of the racing industry, pubs and clubs and major industry players, are gearing up for a “grassroots lobbying campaign” to urge members of the parliament to protect local operators “from losses that would flow as a result” of the in-play betting being legalized in the country.

Quoting sources familiar with the matter, the news outlet said an estimated 4,000 TAB outlet operators could be paying visits to MPs’ offices “to pressure them to retain in-play restrictions to protect jobs.”

One source told The Australian: “This approach will be replicated with tens of thousands of racing-industry participants potentially directly lobbying their local MPs against any changes.”