If you’re going to wager, wager on the horses.

That was Racing and Gaming Minister Colin Holt’s appeal to gamblers in Western Australia amid reports that the government is preparing to put up the country’s last state-owned betting agency up for sale.

In an interview with abc.net.au, the minister said punters should return to racetrack wagering because “sports betting doesn’t contribute to the racing industry like wagering on the races does.”

The Western Australia racing codes tabled a proposal last month that would potentially see TAB, the last government-owned betting agency in Australia, going private after Holt decided that it was time to test the market’s appetite for the assets, which has 320 retail outlets.