Come Racing?

[billy the punter]

Do me a favour.

This is an old debate on here but now, more than ever, there seems to be little value on-course.

I'll ignore the fact that it can be hard to get on - that is just part and parcel of the game. At the big meetings that it's rarely a problem anyway due to numbers/turnover.

I'll even ignore the stories I keep hearing about E/W terms in maidens. 1/6, 1/7, 1/10 the odds 1-2-3. With a short fav I can even understand some chalking up under those terms - after all try and have more than £50 E/W the 2nd fav (with the jolly odds on) in a maiden in your local Laddies shop and see how far you get.

However at Goodwood yesterday it went to a whole new level. Around half the firms were betting 1/5 the odds 1-2-3-4 in the big 16 runner+ handicaps.

I noticed this at Goodwood earlier in the year but it was only one or two firms and to be fair they were over the odds on the typical E/W horses - fair enough. I noticed it a bit at Ascot last Saturday too. But not to the level I saw yesterday.

Around half, like I say, including some on the rails and most of the front row were betting to these terms, and they weren't even going bigger than the 1/4 firms.

It's just a way to con the uneducated punter you get at the big meetings. They should be ashamed of themselves. Has the punter's pal () Big Mac brought this up?

This type of bookmaker dragging the trade down - they are gutless thieves.

Even Dick Turpin wore a mask.

[peteg40]

....Well put Billy, noticied this myself at smaller meetings aswell

[mowgli77]

They were going 1/6th odds when we were at the PL Musselburgh meet, it was the 1st time i'd seen it and I was disgusted. I also hate the tw@ts going win only when there is massive fields and plenty of ew value. They don't seem to have an opinion, nearly all of them have the same odds on course. I know they need to make a living but if they had bigger balls and were willing to lay overrated and underpriced fav's they'd make a killing. One of the owners was interviewed recently and said he wanted 3k each way, he was offered £200 ew and he was going mad about the bookies. More and more people will stay at home and bet online through the exchanges - come racing - if you're a chav that will buy our overpiced beer and take our underpriced horses.

[marron]

Just open up phone accounts and get your bets on if there is no value on course.....

[Shaking]

Originally Posted by marron

Just open up phone accounts and get your bets on if there is no value on course.....

There would be no point in going racing then if that had to be the case.

[marron]

There would be if you go to get a feel for the atmosphere and see the action live. Not everyone goes because of the prices, e/w terms etc.....

[RussP]

Agree completely Billy.

Yes, I love a day out at the races but, being an EW punter, it's becoming almost impossible to treat this as a serious profit making opportunity. You are almost forced to place your bets before you leave home which doesn't help when you see one in the paddock beforehand.

Dilemna is:

a) do you place your bets before you go racing?

or

b) do you bet on course after inspecting them in the paddock and get reduced terms?

or maybe Marron's option of the telephone account is the best option.

It does however take away some of the 'come racing' experience.

[bowles10]

i mainly bet before i go now to save the bother on track finding the prices. Often early prices are far better than those on course anyway as you have a greater selection to pick from

I find going to the raes still fun even if i have had my bets beforehand. I used to rush all over the place which kept the adrenalin up but now tend to relax a little!

[mowgli77]

Not that anyone takes any notice but you are not allowed to use your mobile phone near the on course bookies to place bets or something like that. I often use mine to get a bet on Bet365 mobile when on course odds/terms are dreadful.

[billy the punter]

Originally Posted by marron

Just open up phone accounts and get your bets on if there is no value on course.....

It's not really the issue. I WASN'T backing with these firms, however like I said, they are robbing UNeducated race-goers.

[fintron]

Like Mowgli says, betting via wap on the mobile is a good way around the problem.

Bet 365 have a special WAP site.

SJ have their own wap application that can be downloaded.

VC Bet and PaddyPower prices can be taken through the Bet 2 Go wap Application.

All of those firms offer bog betting and respectable EW terms. The Bet 2 Go application also compares prices from Lads, Boyle, Sport Bet and Sky, so between all of those it is possible to have a mini oddschecker on the go!

I agree with Billy though, the EW terms are a joke. At York the other month they were raping punters even in the handicaps. One stand was offering 1/5 of the odds EW in a 20+ runner handicap.

[billy the punter]

Originally Posted by fintron

I agree with Billy though, the EW terms are a joke. At York the other month they were raping punters even in the handicaps. One stand was offering 1/5 of the odds EW in a 20+ runner handicap.

That what there were at Goodwood. 1/5 the odds the 20 runner handicaps. About half the firms too, plenty of the front row and a few on the rails too. Unreal.

If they were over the odds on most it could be excusable - but they weren't.

Also I've never seen 100 books agreeing so much. No one had an opinion. These jokers are clearly in the wrong game, they are NOT bookmakers.

Try something that suits you better boys, knitting or something. Or grow some bollocks and I'll see you next big meeting.

[Matt]

I can't understand anybody who put thiers bets on before they go racing I'd stay at home and watch it on the TV if that was the case.

Surely the buzz of a day at the races is the fact you are taking a wedge of cash with you and hoping to come back pissed up with an even bigger wedge of cash on you, the bookies really should be ashamed of themselves, if I ever hear another one complain about the exchanges etc when they are chalking up 1/6 EW on 16+runners I'll tell them straight what I think of them.

Sadly though we all know the real issue, Racing has followed on now from football, cricket etc and doesnt really give a shit about its own "fans", they would rather let bookies do this, get away with it as they can pack the courses with 5,000 chavs getting pissed and fighting under the guises of "family fun days" or "(insert local promotion here) race night" - Why bother about the 500 hardcore's who go on a tuesday afternoon when you can earn 20 times as much from this lot.

This is why I prefer the jumps when I go, you dont get any of this rubbish. In fact if it wasnt for the grand national I dont think half the population would know that our horses jumped over fences.