Do ex on course layers just stay at home now and trade here ?

Can you pick up a couple of hundred a day on average ?

A mere £6k a month, £72k a year equal to a taxable income of £120,000 all for a few hours a day from the comfort of your own home.

you would most likely have to take 20% PC charge from that 72k T&C

then after 3.5 years or so , you would have to take 40%-60% from that 72k per year

I know you are being facetious T & C But if these guys used to travel to the track every day, pay charges and staff, petrol etc wouldn't they have grossed £72,000 a year. That would probably only net down to £15,000 max wouldn't it ?

The simple answer to your question is NO.

The reason. On course layers used to have a thing called the overround behind which they could operate. Moving prices based on watching the 'faces' in the ring move in to back their fancies or by limiting liability having laid a bet.

The bookmakers as a whole had no opinion of their own, relying on an initial tissue sold to them by a 3rd party, or waiting until others had priced up. Bookmakers made their dough not by having an opinion but by following the money, either preempting it (wiping the price with no liability) or laying off in the ring with other books.

They could not operate laying from home on Betfair with 100% book and up to 5% commission on top.

The layers operating at home now are what used to be the faces in the ring, the propunters. They are the ones who have an opinion based on form (ignoring inside info for this exercise)and therefore can profit in an overround market just as they had to do in the days on course before exchanges.

Great answer thank you Loper.

I didn't realize the on track guys just did the follow the money tactic.

I just thought as ex independent bookmakers that are now denied the opportunity to trade over round on track would have turned into punters themselves.

May be just the odd one then ?

Yes, Level,

there were always books who were not just businessmen but were racing fans and punters. I wont mention any names.

They had the added advantage over the straight pro punters in that they could, in the days before exchanges, lay as well as punt.

But the vast majority were simply making a living by laying, backing only to limit their liabilities or trade out for a profit. They had no opinion on the likely outcome of a race so did not gamble, simply using their experience to manage their balance sheet most profitably whilst understanding (unlike their modern off course counterparts) that turnover is king. The on course market was basically a betting exchange for those with a bookmakers license.

Some pros did (unofficially) get into bed with books in order to profit from laying long before betting exchanges made it just another punting angle, but they were a minority.

Not to mention a certain PC issue to put off the bookies from purely using exchanges?

bookies just follow the money eh? that's a new one on me.none had an opinion either also a new one one me. ok in reality most up together players like to lay something at 6/4 that been 2/1 9/4ish, if  when I work oncourse ive missed laying fancy pprices about a shortener I cannot help but put it in the book on the cheap.no all layers play the same way,i know a couple of firms that stand rags for telephone numbers and some still play traditional lose taker over the front two, each to their own

No reason they can't do this on here then

No reason at all, but I found it better 
to have the favourite running for me
when I was on course, especially in the
early races,