Richard Hoiles RP thats the Racing Post

The Racing Post needs to wake the f up. If interest continues to decline there's no racing post. No one's going to buy the racing post for football info as you can get that anywhere,,,

That's not strictly true TheFear as racing is a loss leader for FOBTS and serves only to keep shops open therefore bookmakers will still pay the RP for advertising etc and will keep it going whatever
I'm a bit surprised the RP printed this so it's possible that breakthroughs may be on the way at worst it helps draw attention to the plight of things

You might find a few that might not be getting the gig on itv rattling a few cages now the gravy train is leaving them behind. Whether Hoiles is one of them who knows but great future commentating surely?

It isnt just restricting accounts it is the annihilation of the SP for punters that is killing of punters quicker than ever before. Greed will kill the game from the betting medium income eventually.

Did the Editor not check what was going to print?

I agree with TheFear, if decline continues in racing then RP sales will just decline further too. That in turn will see the books not wanting to pay for advertising when there is no audience to read their adverts.

It's got eff all to do with advertising, which I hear a lot. The RP's biggest earner is the broadsheet LBO version. As well as each shop taking that, they are contractually obliged to buy two tabloid RP's with them.  Multiply each betting shop by the cost of 1 broadsheet and 2 tabloids.  That's a lot of money.

A very clear conflict of interests then, in terms of balanced reporting of bookmaking practices.

But has the RP ever come out and said it's a punters' campaigning paper? I've not heard that....and if you were Bruce would you potentially stack your relationship with your biggest customer base to launch a war on behalf of punters?  What are you going to get in return? A few slaps on the back from people who put £50 into the business while those that pump in thousands turn their backs.

Bruce must have been at Royal Ascot yday...he'll be livid 

nice to someone in the media raising this, liked his sarcasm regarding bookmakers trusting their odds compilers opinions to lay a bet could "come back in fashion" he could also have added so might bookmaking in that taking a modest bet from someone who knows their stuff can be used to advantage

laying a minimum bet all markets isnt going to happen any time soon by bookmaker agreement and legislation is unlikely, but what could work is the agreement to lay to lose say £200 on major events, ie group 1's, heritage handicaps, euro 2016, wimbledon etc that should be realistic, i doubt any bookmakers trader/odds compiler would want to admit to not doing this

thats a minimum of £200 per customer, they might well find this is to the benefit in the "medium term" as hoiles puts it

He's talking rubbish about the premium charge, btw

If racing continues to die out he won't have many shops to sell his two tabloids too.

What metric are you using to proclaim Racing "continues to die out"?

it's majorly not in my interest for it to die out but...

people saying they cant get a bet on
no one in betting shops except on machines
average age of racegoers about 70!
shop staff saying to me "no one buys the racing post"
this forum deserted
liquidity on BF dire
etc, etc

What's happened to rod street and the promotion of racing?

Ok, so no hard metrics just a bit of guff.  The day the industry starts basing it's future prospects on Betfair forum traffic I will wholeheartedly apologise though (and agree the game is fooked)

average age of racegoers about 70!   probably always going to be case during week cos everyone else is working but let's face it there's a hell of a lot of 70yos around these days and will be in future...plenty younger go at weekends and lots of meetings in summer packed out


shop staff saying to me "no one buys the racing post"   well, was never the biggest seller and obv sales fall once it's all available online anyway..just changing times, hardly signifier of racing's decline

Apologies if it's nothing to do with advertising, but that is what I always believed.

but what could work is the agreement to lay to lose say £200 on major events, ie group 1's, heritage handicaps, euro 2016, wimbledon - surely they should be adding a zero to that. They should laying to lose 200+ on sellers in my opinion to EVERYONE, or just don't price the event up. 20 years ago in my local lads/billies you could back virtually anything to win 4 figures without even a phonecall. Now punters are over the moon to get 25 quid taken on a 7/1 shot taken. In the next 20 years how many punters will be left? No new gamblers will bet on a sport when it is now known you are not allowed to win, they go and bet on football/golf/tennis/cricket etc.

where's your "hard metrics" that it's not...

ps what is hard metrics some PR speak

of course magic_daps, but we are talking bookmakers here, mention laying to £2k and they'll run a mile, my thinking is a minimum of £200 could be a starting point, punters are currently getting knocked back to far less on major events

those 70yo's get in free, dunc

and they prob only spend £1.50p on a cup of tea, Ocean...but hasnt that always been the case midweek? last Saturday there was loads of meetings and they all looked packed to rafters to me

Coverage in newspapers has gone down dramatically too. Unless I missed it royal ascot didnt get a mention in the sunday times last weekend. The evening standard used to have a correspondent. The list is endless.

The 'crowds' that are flocking to the courses are very similar those that attend the darts. They are there purely for a p1ss up and racing is something that goes on in the background. The only time they will enter a betting shop is to play the roulette or do their football accas. They are just the fodder that bookies are looking for.

saturday crowds presumably holding up aye and the big meets

Agree with THE FEAR about sales of the Racing Post been hit over bookmaker restrictions.

Only people with a  keen interest in betting would buy the Racing Post everyday.

These are surely the punters who are getting restricted. And if these Racing Post customers, are struggling to get bets on......



What would be the point for them to buy a Racing Post everyday...... or for that matter a bookmaker to advise in it.... when the real mug punters the bookmakers chase are reading the Sun and Mirror.?

I think your right (THE FEAR) Racing Post wouldn't want to wake up, to who is most important to them,...... its readers interests....... or its advisers.

Churchill £60k to £66k  £50k to £55k please tell me which bookmakers are laying these bets. I would like to get my £50 bets on with them.

Its hardy was VC doesn't Churchill owner owns them as well? ........You would be curious to know alright.

anyone got a link to Richards article.............cheers

Newspaper version only, methinks.

Here's a link to that excellent Richard Hoiles article in Saturday's Racing Post:

https://twitter.com/BoycottBetfred/status/745010303113568261

Apologies - wrong link:

https://twitter.com/BoycottBetfred/status/744913895488364544

Another racing journalist joins the club. Tom Kerr tried to bet £15 ew was restricted to £23.72 by one of the 'gargantuan corporations'. That's make 3 who have reported similar restrictions to small stakes.
When will one of them challenge the PRs who give the false impression that their business will allow everybody to bet with them.

Good to hear rayman hopefully more and more will follow as journalists are supposed to report the TRUTH

As I said many months ago many times people are only bothered about anything when it happens to them if everyone was being treated the same way this would've been outed and sorted years ago but we know many within the game are protected

Think of all these people who own and train racehorses you can't tell me they do it for the love of the game and pitiful prize money surely they bet on their horses
If they were treat the same as you and I they would've given up years ago restricted to £1 liability here £10 liability there and you're running your horse for at least 20K per year
It doesn't make sense that the likes of me travels 20 miles everyday to spread bets around 4 companies before betting the rest on here and those in the know can seemingly bet with little trouble