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I was sad to read in today’s Post that our old friend Barry Dennis is planning to call it a day.
He gave the usual reasons – falling turnover, synchronised odds changes, levy blah blah, but I think what really grated was when he starts reminiscing over about five years ago when “we didn’t have electric boards”.
The scars are still there obviously. You may recall in the decimilised odds debate the revelation that this contraption set him back seven large. You can see it in all it’s glory in the photo accompanying today’s article – a very basic electric display allowing for the (abridged) names, numbers and odds of fourteen horses and little else.
Seven large for that
We can but speculate what got him to part with the money, but I have a feeling it went something like this:
Council of 14 member: Barry, we’re updating our systems. If you want us to bet with you in future you’ll have to use one of these boards instead of your old chalkboard.
Barry: It’s not very good is it. When I try and press the button to change the odds they don’t always work.
Council of 14 member: Oh, they work most of the time. It’s only when you make the ‘mistake’ of pushing out certain horses popular in the shops that they might malfunction.
Barry: And it’s only got space for 14 horses
Council of 14 Member: Believe us Barry when we tell you, going forward, that’s all you’ll need.
Barry: How much is it?
Council of 14 member: A monkey
Barry: A bit steep but I don’t really have a choice, here you go.
Council of 14 Member#2: Each……….
Barry:
Like Barry, I don’t like synchronised odds changes. They seem to happen around 5 min before the start when all the online bookmakers seem to operate in unison. I haven’t noticed this happen in the betting ring so I’m not sure who is setting the price that everyone follows online. Can anyone enlighten me?
Starting price is little more than a scandal.
Starting prices should be adjusted to produce a standard percentage ‘take’ for each race, dependant on amount of runners. (That could be done pretty simply with some basic arithemtic, starting prices fed into a PC and standardised within seconds – nano-seconds even.)
You need only look at what happens every year with the Grand National to see that the way the system currently operates is deeply flawed.
When you place a bet at SP you have no idea when you place that bet what you are up against – percentage-wise. That can’t be right can it?
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