- This topic has 54 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 4 months ago by
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Look at the pitch costs for bookmakers yet Ascot etc. would let Betfair set up free of charge.
Betfair are hardly being allowed to set up free of charge when you consider the race sponsorship that was required to seal this deal.
If Ladbrokes or Hills etc. sponsor a race then they don’t knock the sum off the pitch costs. Same should be done with Betfair.
Charge them per unit as if they were a bookmaker – 10 computers = 10 times whatever the top bookmaker in the ring pays.
Then we could use the exchange return as the SP.
A non starter unfortunately due to their premium charge.
What is wrong with bookmakers ceasing to exist on course? Of course, i’d prefer if this doesn’t happen (for nostalgia reasons) but they have no divine riight to stand in the way of fair competition, especially if the levy contribution can be recouped from Betfair on course.
It’s nice to see that in this current economic climate someone is advocating the loss of thousands of jobs!! Nevermind nostalgia – there’s a hell of a lot more at stake than that.
Sean Rua – well said. Oh for the days when bookmakers actually had an opinion, rather than blindly following the machine. That is precisely why we need people like Freddie Williams (RIP), Geoff Banks and the very few who actually stand alone and take an opinion.
Bog off, firefox. I told you before I wouldn’t enter into any discussions with you and your bait just isn’t worthy enough to respond to anyway.
In fairness, it may not be a bygone age, but the betting the ring was totally different in 1994…[/i]
Collective on-course bookmakers paid £300,000 to the 46th Levy scheme (07-08 ) which in itself was a decline from the 45th Levy scheme (06-07) where they contributed £400,000 to horse racing’s costs. There is the multiple admission charge to consider too.
Betting exchanges paid £6.9m (6.1m), which in itself is dwarved by by the big three bookmakers contribution of £105.7m, a massive (and exceptional), increase from £89.5m the previous year.
For information.
I’m talking about the betting side of things (i.e willingness to lay a bet, strnegth of market, variaton in prices etc) rather than the ambience.
On course bookies can’t afford to have an opinion – the arbers would fleece them and they would only take money from arbers.
I also fail to see what benefit on-course Betfair terminals will bring to racing, other than for in-running punters who are at the track.
I’d like to see in-running banned anyway, but that’s an argument for another day.
I said that was the first time I went racing firefox – not when I first got into racing, for God’s sake!
Now leave me alone.
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Just drop it, firefox. We don’t need another ‘he said, she said’ thread.
I don’t think on-course terminals will make a significant difference. I still use Betfair on-course in Ireland and the UK by phone and look forward to trying it on my fancy new PDA thingy. Anyone who really wants to use Betfair on course is already doing so. I suspect that the Ascot move has more to do with promotion and increasing awareness than increasing on-course BF use.
Excellent piece. Love the suggestions to the Tote. it seems to have been run by people who are clueless about punting ever since it was established. Thought things might improve once the crazed Wyatt of Weeford finally went to hell, but no such luck.
Talking of variation in price one place you don’t get the influence of Betfair is at point to points.
At Cottenham, just after Christmas, I was trying to monitor the betting market to announce the odds over the tanny when horses arrived at the post and to assist with the SP.
The variation was astonishing between about 20-25 bookmakers spread in an L shape. From one end of the line to the other one horse could be backed at everything from 7s to 20s !
Mind you their overrounds – particularly in maidens and on bank holidays- can be cringeworthy.
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