Another Reason Why Greyhound Racing Has Gone To The Dogs

Some of you may have viewed my recent thread on the horse racing forum, detailing how I was recently debanked by a well known, high-street bank for winning over £30,000 on greyhound racing - all in the space of 1 month. Whilst the aforementioned post had a serious undertone, as per usual, as is the case on this forum, the thread descended into a charade - headed by the usual 'post yer bet' suspects; not mentioning any names.

Whilst I was disappointed with the overall response I received on here, I find it equally disheartening on the Greyhound Forum, where we repeatedly hear why the greyhound racing industry is in dire straits. And, perhaps the most frustrating thing of all, is that I have to agree with almost all of what I read regarding the industry's decline. Having said this, I shall briefly detail below why I have almost given up on up my successful, albeit short lived love-affair with the sport.

As someone who got into sports betting at a fairly young age, it was horse racing that initially captured my heart and imagination. As such, I consider myself to have been extremely fortunate over the years having experienced my fair share of big wins on the horses and, just like every other punter I know, also experienced the stomach-churning lows that inevitably go with it.

I would like to think that I have always taken my betting seriously, although I have admittedly struggled with discipline and staking especially in my earlier years gambling. However, it was a chance trip to Monmore with family, maybe a year or so ago, that made me switch my attention from horses to greyhounds. I had finally found my 'niche' and the discipline required to turn a profit - or so I thought. Until now, I've never looked back.

As a relatively new enthusiast of the sport, I don't for one second proclaim to know the ins-and-outs of the industry and the deeply rooted problems that entail. Having said this, many of the issues are glaring obvious for all to see and there are too many to mention here. But for those who wish to take their betting somewhat seriously, like myself, I am saddened to say I will be reverting back to the horses - and with good reason.

Apart from being debanked, the biggest factors, or stumbling blocks shall we call them, I have faced betting on greyhounds is restricted accounts along with the numerous amount of 'bookmakers' who simply refuse to form an early book. Last November, in the space of four weeks, I had more then eight winning betting accounts shut down by those firms who do actually offer early prices on the dogs. And for those who offer SP only until the show, I just didn't bother with.

As my bookmaker accounts were getting shut down, one by one, I had no alternative but to turn my attention to the betting exchanges. I naively thought this would be the place I would find refuge; a somewhat safe-haven for not getting restricted. But, despite several nice wins on here, even Betfair had it's major pitfalls when it comes to betting on greyhounds.

You see, for those who want a serious bet on the dogs, the problem with the betting exchange can be explained in one word: liquidity. It's virtually none existent. Personally, I found on too many occasions that the total sum of my bet on any given greyhound race was amounting to 10-15% of the entire market value matched at the off. Simply put, to get my bet matched, I was having to crash the price. In a lot of cases, I would typically be taking a couple of points under what the dogs true market value should be. In the end, it just wasn't worth it.

So, with all this in mind, I shall be reverting back to horse racing. Whilst I am fully aware that bookmakers restrict accounts for those winning on the GG's too, they almost certainly, in my experience, seem more switched on and alert to banning those betting and winning on the pups.