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Shall I tell you why I became interested in betting on racing as a youngster?
Absolutely no idea. None whatsoever. Apart from an errant-gambler grandfather (who died when I was a baby), I had no relatives with any interest in the sport, no outside influences whatsoever.
And therein lies the problem for racing. In the confused world of it’s promotion, the very best the marketing men in charge can hope for is increasing course attendance, usually with the carrot of some non-racing activity. (Leopardstown’s punt on several thousand wannabe-Mancs turning up for The Happy Mondays was a pearler; talk about twisting my melon, man.)
I have a reasonably wide social circle, yet I hardly know anybody who is interested in racing. However, many of my friends will still go to race meetings once or twice a year either on a freebie or some arranged ‘day out’. We can infer from that that the actual process of getting customers into racecourses is fairly straightforward. However, none of those friends would ever watch racing on the television, bet on racing, or have any ongoing knowledge of the sport. Going to a race meeting does not make one a racing fan. The people who attend Newmarket Nights et al are more than likely to attend the next heavily-promoted event in their vicinity, but not the next race meeting.
What racing needs is punters, and how do we attract new punters into the sport? Answer: we can’t.
All of us who bet on the sport love the challenge of horse racing – it’s nuances and intricacies are what we enjoy. There are millions of people out there nowadays who bet solely on other sports, their “fiver win Man Utd” being a straightforward alternative to racing’s complexities; racing will never win these bettors over and attempts to do so are pointless. The sport has to accept the new reality that there is far more competition around for the punting pound than 20+ years ago, although despite this, racing’s betting turnover has itself increased considerably in the last decade.
The best thing that racing can do to ‘promote’ itself is to make itself as accessible as possible by maintaining a strong media presence and ensuring that those who go to the races enjoy the experience. The opportunities to increase racecourse attendance are numerous. However, there’s a world of difference between attracting new racegoers and creating new punters. I strongly believe racing punters are born not made, and sadly, all the marketing in the world will not add to their numbers.
Mike
I have very rarely had a bet & I follow racing, on TV, the media & at race meetings. Not everyone who might go racing is necessarily a punter.
Good post Betlarge and an expansion on these pithy words from Steeplechasing on the Shergar Cup thread
The perception that there is some secret marketing mix that will suddenly bring huge numbers of new fans is a pipedream. Part of the sport’s attraction, I think, is that those who do ‘get it’ feel blessed. We are the people!
Racing for its own sake is an increasingly atavistic pursuit that will only ever attract a minority born of an admiration for the noble horse; and Crepello, I’d confidently surmise that the majority of non-punting race lovers are women
An inclination to bet, be it on horses or whatever, is I would again confidently surmise almost wholly down to psychological make-up and cannot be taught or encouraged by others
I fell for racing by accident on a whim-decision by my non-racing father to visit Newton Abbot races during an August family holiday in Torbay in 1971; that day remains a clear-as-a-bell memory
Betting followed a little later…naturally? I know not why though being a ‘natural’ melencholic reflective loner who has never felt at ease amongst the prevailing zeitgeist might have summat to do with it: and that can’t be taught
Good post Betlarge and an expansion on these pithy words from Steeplechasing on the Shergar Cup thread
The perception that there is some secret marketing mix that will suddenly bring huge numbers of new fans is a pipedream. Part of the sport’s attraction, I think, is that those who do ‘get it’ feel blessed. We are the people!
Actually, it was precisely that thread, and Joe’s words in particular, that led to this one. In my mind the seperation between attracting people to racecourses and attracting new punters into the game is not being made.
Also in that thread Ivanjica posted:
"The fact remains that a lot of very highly paid executives charged with the task of widening the appeal of racing have failed dismally. They are using the high attendance figures resultant from marketing rock/pop concerts to justify their actions and nobody in authority is asking them to explain how they intend converting a new generation of kids into racing enthusiasts."
The trouble is that all these "very highly paid executives" can do is herd the Friday-night crowds into our racecourses and hope that some tiny percentage turn out to get the bug. The idea that it is possible to "convert a new generation of kids into racing enthusiasts" via some marketing trick is a falsehood that has been peddled for years.
I know not why though being a ‘natural’ melencholic reflective loner who has never felt at ease amongst the prevailing zeitgeist might have summat to do with it: and that can’t be taught
Well precisely. It’s fairly obvious that there’s only so many of us narcissists, sociopaths, barkers, crims, spivs, edge-twirlers and downright weirdos to go round…
Mike
Wouldn’t say "trying to attract new punters to racing is a waste of time", just we should not expect miracles from any so called "initiative".
Get people to the course and some will come back another day, and some of those will become "racing enthusiasts" – as Drone’s own story proves.
Value Is EverythingThat’s a brilliant post betlarge and something I have been feeling for many years now.
My Granddad ran a book at the Curragh racecourse and that was before betting was legal but I never knew this until later in my life and by then I was totally hooked on racing at 10 years of age.
My dad used to watch it on tele in the afternoons and we used to have small bets with each other on who would win, then on a Saturday he would take a couple of bets to the bookie, a small accumulator nothing really big but I loved the excitement of seeing the horses and finding the winner.
I used to take afternoons off work when the big race meetings were on to watch it with my dad, he would see me rushing down the road about 1.30 straight off the train from London to be in time for the first race, great times.
From there I started going to the Derby with my friend who had just got her first car and then I found a colleague at work who was a member at Newmarket and would go racing with her whenever I could. Now my husband buys me the Badge as a Birthday/Christmas present and commits to being a racing widower for the flat season
Being a woman you are even more isolated as a person who loves to go racing. My friends know hardly anything about the races, I even had one who thought that Desert Orchid won the Derby
They would never be seen dead in a betting shop apart from Grand National Day and when they do go racing they put all their bets on the Tote and disappear to the bar.Even though I am a Member at Newmarket I hardly every stay after the races for the Newmarket Nights I am usually the first one out of the Car Park when every one else is coming in.
There used to be a lot of colourful old racing characters around Newmarket races and sadly one by one they are dying out, I used to love to meet them on the way to the Bookie and hear what they had heard in the way of work whispers, OK they didn’t always win but what tales they could tell.So many people go racing now and don’t even look at a horse in the paddock they just prop up the bars all afternoon and watch the action taking place on the TV’s in the bar…why bother.
Racing is a daily part of my life now, I don’t bet on any other sport, gaming etc and I go racing as much as I can to see where my money is going and to enjoy seeing the horses compete against each other, what could be better than a day out at a sporting event where you might possibly come home with more money than you went in with. But it’s not all about the money there is no greater day out than a day at the Races
Sadly my husband is not a racing fan but over the years I have found 1 or 2 friends that are and made more friends at the races, so even if they can’t attend I go on my own and meet up at Newmarket.Whenever they talk of women going racing it is always along the lines of what they will be wearing and competitions for the best dressed lady or couple, so now we get overdressed girls and women turning up dressed for Ascot at the most low key meetings. Somehow the wrong messages are being sent out and it needs to be centred more around the horses, but as you say I think it’s a waste of time trying to draw new people in, they are fair weather racing folk in every sense of the word.
Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I agree with many of the sentiments on this thread, although there are three distinct groups: punters, racegoers and the racing enthusiasts who aren’t particularly bothered about betting (I’m not, although I always bet when at the track).
It would be interesting to see how many of this latter group have actually fallen into racing by chance – i.e those who don’t have a family connection to racing. What has always struck me (and probably what is a bit of a turn off about the sport to be honest) is that it can be more difficult to get involved in racing at certain levels if you’re not "the son/daughter of so and so who is the brother/sister of blah blah blah".
It’s a small aside, and we all know about racing’s closed circles, but I meet more people who have got the racing bug through family connections than other means. That’s not to say there aren’t more out there like me and the rest of us on here. No one in my family ever had an interest in racing (in fact my sister says it’s barbaric and won’t let me watch it in her house
) and there are few friends I’ve met in my life who would even bother going to a racecourse. I’ve spent years dragging friends and unsupecting family members along with me. Not one of them has ever chosen to follow the sport afterwards, even those I took to see Frankel run last year.Yes, marketing initiatives will only go so far i.e getting more people racing which can only be a good thing. My very untrained betting eye tells me that racing has been sidelined as a sport to bet on over the years – I remember the days when the front of betting shops were dominated by racing displays – no more.
Racing cannot robustly and effectively defend itself against the small but aggressive lobbying of minority groups like Animal Aid and bloated politial charities like RSPCA. Agreed, these issues hit the headlines just once or twice a year (Aintree and Cheltenham) but nevertheless something more needs to be done to combat the lies and hysteria they like to promote. They have a sinister agenda and nothing these days surprises me. Just look at what is happening to the Grand National.
Similarly, racing still has a long way to go to market itself effectively despite some laudable and creative initatives (I’ve been a QIPCO racemaker this year). In recent years I have seen expensive advertising initiatives around London for the Derby, Ascot, Cheltenham etc, and many of these posters have not even included a photo of a racehorse, for God’s sake. Plenty about dresses, hats, champagne and live music but not about the sport – and don’t forget, the best horses in the world have been racing at these meetings. Despite the flaws of the Shergar Cup, the meeting did have some of the world’s top jockeys, but again, the advertising listed the bands playing – not one mention of world class riders. What other sport fails to promote its stars like this? How will people ever get interested in the sport on a longer term basis if they don’t even know what they are there to see?
I find this topic frustrating, because racing is to expert at closing ranks, shooting itself in the foot and failing to promote the positive aspects of the sport.
Whenever they talk of women going racing it is always along the lines of what they will be wearing and competitions for the best dressed lady or couple, so now we get overdressed girls and women turning up dressed for Ascot at the most low key meetings. Somehow the wrong messages are being sent out and it needs to be centred more around the horses, but as you say I think it’s a waste of time trying to draw new people in, they are fair weather racing folk in every sense of the word.
By the way, totally agree with this, as a fellow female forumite. The expansion of "Ladies’ Day" is positively nauseating considering the last place I want to wear stilettos and some over-revealing dress is the racecourse (that’s what nightclubs are for). Most of the women I saw on Eclipse Day at Sandown were falling over 7-inch feels, drunk, and invariably on hen parties. It’s the kind of thing that puts me off going to Royal Ascot, Aintree etc. I just want to see the horses. Also, when are we going to have "best dressed gentleman" introduced onto the racecourse?
They are not having "Ladies Days", having Madness & Meat Loaf after racing and charging double the price of entry to attract new punters, it’s to make lots of money. It works, they are packed.
They are not having "Ladies Days", having Madness & Meat Loaf after racing and charging double the price of entry to attract new punters, it’s to make lots of money. It works, they are packed.
Absolutely correct.
But the racing media (Channel Four and the Racing Post in particular) frequently associates full racecourses as a sign that new racing fans are being attracted to the sport. They’re not; it’s people being attracted to racecourses holding associated events, something entirely different.
To fund itself, what racing needs is a continuous flow of punters. My point is that these punters are not going to be created by any amount of trips to see Madness at Sandown Park and, indeed, that they cannot be ‘created’ at all. I believe that there is something in one’s genetic makeup that makes one predisposed to gamble and something additional that makes one do so on horse racing.
The ‘I was taken to the races as a child’ stories are all well and good, but so were millions of children in years past and yet relatively few make the transition to lifelong racing fans. It’s something we
are
, not something we’re
made
.
Of course the irony is that even when attempts are made to immerse novices into the world of racing via events like The Shergar Cup, a thread entitled "Please Make This Year’s Shergar Cup The Last" appears on these boards!
Mike
From HKJC 2012 annual report ( 2013 due soon):
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Especially encouraging has been the continued growth in revenue and customer base of our core business, horse racing, which is defying falling world trends in the sport….To appeal to our newer customer segments, we provided two new offerings at Happy Valley Racecourse in the latter part of the season, a revitalised adrenaline bar & lounge and The Gallery, a brand new restaurant in the public stand. Both designed to appeal to younger, more tech-savvy racegoers, these build on the success of the Beer Garden, which has established Happy Valley as the trendiest midweek hotspot in town among the young professional set.
The centrepiece of the new adrenaline is the ibu, a revolutionary digital racing information and betting platform that is the first of its kind in the global racing world and offers racegoers a unique interactive racing experience. The Gallery allows customers to make use of a number of specially-developed racing apps through their own or loaned-out iPads.
These are both excellent examples of how we are using a segmentation strategy, backed by comprehensive customer research, to identify and respond to the needs of different customer groups. They also illustrate how the Club is integrating products and facilities to create all-round racecourse experiences and attract a new generation to the sport, which is essential to the long-term sustainability of horse racing in Hong Kong.
While fully embracing new technologies and the phenomenal rise in popularity of social media, we are acutely aware that technology itself is only an enabler, and that providing relevant content is the key to making horse racing more accessible to the younger generation.
Our homedeveloped Racing Simulator App has attracted some 139,000 downloads in
just two months. Meanwhile the new mobile betting apps we introduced for iPhones last July and Android-based smartphones in December, enabling customers to check racing information and place bets anytime, anywhere, have received a strongly positive response.Complementing these initiatives is an ongoing programme of themed entertainment at both racecourses, likewise aimed at broadening the racecourse experience and extending the sport’s appeal.
The “Happy Wednesday” brand we launched in 2008/09 season, offering a regular series of themed parties on Happy Valley racenights, has proved an especially successful business case, and won a major marketing award recently. Centred around the trackside Beer Garden, these events combine racing action, live music, fun games and special food and drink offerings. Our surveys show that customers in their 20s and 30s now make up 40% of total attendance on midweek race nights, growing to 60% when we stage themed party nights.
…. Our top-class racing product combined with the high liquidity of our betting pools positions us to be a world leader in commingling, thereby strengthening our global position and reducing the risk of betting money leakage to overseas operators…… France’s top race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October.. saw 70% of worldwide turnover outside the home country held in Hong Kong.
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one might add that there are around half-a-dozen Chinese-language racing sheets in HK to be seen on news-stands, and its common to see them being studied by the middle-aged and more senior marketing segments in eateries and on public transport.
Few years ago I wrote this:
Trouble is whenever we see C4 or BBC showing stuff that goes on at the races it’s always in the posh end. Some presenter drinking champagne or eating fine food. It is not as elitest as they sometimes make out.
Why not have an advert on TV showing
all
aspects of racing? Yes, the posh nosh and champers, but also the beer and burger. Showing the beauty sipping her cocktail and the farmer in his flat cap. But also the ordinary bloke in smart casual, even in jeans! Lets have horses walking around the paddock, someone putting a bet on….
Betting is nowhere near as much frowned on nowadays. What about contrasting watching balls coming out of a tube, with racegoers shouting their fancy home in the Grandstand. Then jumping up and down and hugging each other.
It is not how I celebrate, but if it brings people (particularly the young) through the gates, why not?
Value Is EverythingGood post Mike. I don’t have any friends that are into racing either. They always complain that it is too dull with long gaps between races and that they have nothing to really relate to. They don’t know anyone apart from Dettori and Mcririck and they have no interest in getting to know the horses.
I took my three year old twins to Newmarket this week and was very disappointed at how little there was to entertain them in between the racing – not even swings and slides! They ate a lot of crisps and ice cream! However the DNA that you spoke of is clearly inside them both as they got very excited during the actual races and my little boy has now changed the name of his favourite racing car from "Lightning McQueen" to "Morpheus". I think therefore I have managed to bring 2 new recruits to the sport. I wonder if I am due a commission?
One thing I would say though Mike is that I don’t think we should just give up. It IS possible to attract new customers, whether we are talking about commercial or sporting, but it has to be done well. Look at Darts. I mean it’s DARTS for gods sake but you can hardly go a week now without it being shown on Sky in front of packed audiences. How have they managed it? Clever promotion of the characters, a competitive narrative that includes the Premier league and scantily clad ladies leading the beer guts to the oche. Whatever it is, it is working.
Cycling is another. Perhaps it is because we can all cycle so it quite accessible. Or because we now have some people who are quite good at it. All I know is nobody could give two hoots about it a few years ago but now Bradley and Laura are household names.
I also love golf but strangely would not watch a single shot of the European tour. I would be happy to watch all four days of a PGA event though (it would just cost me a lot in a divorce settlement).
I think these days it is more challenging for sports to get their share of the fan base. There are 10-15 available sports channels and you can watch what you like. Football is more popular than ever and racing can no longer enjoy the luxury of being the only sport on TV on a Saturday afternoon.
The other thing that worried me at Newmarket was the average age of the crowd. I would say it was well above 50. So I think we DO need to keep trying to attract people to the sport whilst accepting that for most it will be just be a case of either taking to it or not.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
racegoers shouting their fancy home in the Grandstand. Then jumping up and down and hugging each other.
It is not how I celebrate, but if it brings people (particularly the young) through the gates, why not?
If you were in sight at Goodwood when Toronado won Ginge, I might of even gave you a kiss to go with the hugging.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
People who are interested in racing, but don’t bet on it are just WEIRD. It’s like going to a football match and cheering on The Draw or the referee.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"People who are interested in racing, but don’t bet on it are just WEIRD. It’s like going to a football match and cheering on The Draw or the referee.
Well thanks for telling me I’m weird.
I know many people like myself who can enjoy the racing simply for the thrill of the sport – trust me you don’t need to have a bet to appreciate a good race or a good sporting contest.
If the betting is so essential than I presume you would be equally happy betting on virtual racing, or two flies climbing up a wall.
Are you seriously suggesting Frankel’s performances could not be appreciated without having a bet?
Or Sea The Stars performance in the Arc could not be appreciated or enjoyed because a bet wasn’t struck on the race?
Or, going to lower grade action, two horses battling out a thrilling finish?
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