The government has begun to prepare for a possible sale of state-owned bookmaker, the Tote, in the autumn.
But Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said that the final decision to launch the sale had not yet been taken.
Attempts to sell the business to the racing industry and a consortium backed by private equity have both fallen through in the past few years.
The Tote was established in 1928. It now employs 4,000 people and is the fourth-largest bookmaker in the UK.
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