The people of Siena have halted plans to allow betting on the city's historic Palio horse race with an avalanche of protests .
The world-famous race around the city's main square is one of the few sporting events Italian punters cannot wage their money on - at least not legally .
The State Monopoly Authority, which regulates gambling in Italy, was planning to announce a change to this rule on Thursday morning .
But when the news was leaked Wednesday, angry Sienese bombarded the authority with telephone calls and e-mails of protest and politicians from the Tuscan city lobbied for a U-turn .
"It would be wrong to have betting on the Palio because it is a special festival, not just a race," said Andrea De Gortes, a jockey who has run in it 59 times .
"It is one of the cleanest races in the world. If we allowed gambling, what would happen?" .
The State Monopoly Authority said that it has decided not to open up next week's Palio to betting because of "technical and social reasons" and factors linked to local customs .
But it stressed that it will look at the matter again in September because gamblers outside Italy can bet on the Palio .
Maurizio Ughi, the president of SNAI, Italy's top chain of betting shops, said he had no intention of taking bets on the Palio even if it were allowed, as this would be "blasphemous". Animal rights' campaigners, who consider the Palio cruel to the horses involved, found no reason to celebrate .
"Unfortunately nothing changes for the horses," said Gianluca Felicetti, the President of the Italian Anti-Vivisection League (LAV) .
Felicetti pointed out that 48 horses have died in the Palio since 1970 because of the hard surface the race is on and the potential for accidents on the tight circuit .
Organizers counter that the special sand used to cover the circuit makes the surface similar to those of cinder horse-race tracks in France and the United States .
They also claim to have introduced a series of innovations in recent years, like covering dangerous corners with special padding, to make the race safer for horses and riders .
The Corsa del Palio is disputed between 10 of Siena's 17 Contrade - the wards into which the city has been divided since the 13th century. It dates back to the 16th century at least and takes place on July 2 and on August 16 .
The name Palio refers to the banner of painted silk which goes to the winning district .
Each time the banner is painted by a different artist. The banner for the upcoming August 16 Palio, which was presented Thursday, was painted by Italy's Tino Stefanoni and is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the foundation of Unesco .
Rivalry between the Contrade is fierce and creates an extraordinary atmosphere in the city throughout the summer .
The events leading up to the Palio include several race rehearsals and banquets with the jockeys. On the day of the Palio the horses and jockeys are blessed in the church of their respective Contrada and there is a parade of local people in Renaissance costume with traditional Tuscan flag-throwers .
The only rule in the race itself is that the jockeys must not grab the reins of their adversaries, which means whipping a rival's horse or even knocking a jockey off his steed is allowed .
Victory goes to the first horse to complete three laps of the square, even if it arrives at the finishing post without a rider .
The winning Contrada's celebrations go on for weeks.
