Bookmakers on Course Galway

Wont even try with the non hcaps

Tuesdays handicaps at goodwood and galway bearing in mind that goodwood bookmaker turnover would be nowhere near galway DAYLIGHT ROBBERY   


            Runners      %    % per runner
2pm     Goodwood    18    127.65    1.536
4.15pm    Goodwood    17    122.06    1.297
4.50pm    Goodwood    20    128.42    1.42
5.20pm    Goodwood    23    135.03    1.52
      Totals    78    Average    1.442


         Runners     %    % per runner
5.00pm    Galway    20           151.49    2.57
5.35pm    Galway    14           134.98    2.5
6.40pm    Galway    15           137.68    2.51
    Totals    49            Average    2.526

One of the Irish bookies ( think it was Grahams ) used to quote the percentages  , but they stopped a long time ago , presumably it was too embarrassing .

I have long advocated some sort of regulation , as well as enforceability as a trade off , particularly regarding percentages and quoted liabilities . And everybodys money should be as good as anybody elses  , so no knocking back until a stated liability was satisfied .

Whistling in the air . A brown envelope society is not going to blow any whistles .

Anytime I'm up there I'm too furious when I get near some of the on course bookies, just insulting some of them with their prices or offers, and the complete sh1te some of them shout to try and attract people. Can't spend long in the betting ring without my mood being ruined

The in course market deserves what they got over the past few years. I have no sympathy for those that claim the ring is dead. You reap what you sow.

on course

+1 Bassanio

In fairness to the racecourse bookmakers the returned prices bear little resemblance to the way they bet.
I wasn`t there today and the first race does look disgraceful but wonder how they really bet in the race.
Yesterday i backed Magical Dream at 13/8 it was returned at 5/4 saw Big Break freely available at 6/4 it was also returned 5/4.Mona Brown was returned 11/8 in the last yet there was plenty of 9/4.
The ring has never got over the sad demise of Dessie Fox.

No idea how you can come on here and defend them. If you move something in a point them you need to move something out a point. 154% is a disgusting overround.

Seldom on course myself these days so just piecing together some observations .

It strikes me that the returned odds are designed to suit the off course ( SP ) market . What part the on course bookies play in the returns , as against what they have laid is I suspect part of the problem .

From what I have observed ( although it seldom affects me as I bet at SP about once a year ) virtually no horse is returned at even a fraction above the last show , and some do contract . Its a downward spiral invariably .  Insofar as anybody pays attention to returned SP , the on course guys are doing themselves a disservice by not ensuring that SP's are as generous as possible . But I suppose its a bit of a club , the ring , so no one wants to rock the boat .  Plus there must be representation in the ring from off course bookies with vested interests in skinny SP's .

It would be interesting if there was legislation regarding the percentage profit as reflected by SP on each race .  That can be regulated  , just a computer program , and it might ensure more fairness for off course punters .  Would not affect those in the ring ( except possibly by a clip around the ears from their puppet masters off course if it skewed their book unduly ) .

The whole relationship between bookies ( on course and off course ) , punters , racing legislators , funding , levy , plus plus may have to change , possibly more urgent in UK which to me looks a complete mess .  Cant see the old tried ( but not necessarily trusted ) method surviving for much longer . Racing would be much duller without some sort of on course market  , but the tote method/ system is useless in current form except in legislations where there is no option .  But who wants to bet in 22% deduction markets ? Only the desperate !

Aug 1, 2012 -- 10:18PM, wildmanfromborneo wrote:

In fairness to the racecourse bookmakers the returned prices bear little resemblance to the way they bet.I wasn`t there today and the first race does look disgraceful but wonder how they really bet in the race.Yesterday i backed Magical Dream at 13/8 it was returned at 5/4 saw Big Break freely available at 6/4 it was also returned 5/4.Mona Brown was returned 11/8 in the last yet there was plenty of 9/4.The ring has never got over the sad demise of Dessie Fox.

for once i agree with wildbore/dark rosaleen.........the returned prices are not the true over rounds

I seem to remember concern being expressed a couple of years ago when HRI awarded the contract for returning SP prices to SIS ( owned by the major off course bookies ) in return for a fee. The suggestion at the time was that it akin to putting the fox in charge of the chicken shed. Are the chickens now coming home to roost ?

Well said Kelly.

HRI and SIS select which 10 or 12 on course Bookmakers gets put into the sample to create the SP,which would always include those with a vested interest in the SP industry.The majority of on course Bookmakers would have their boards priced up as soon as the the horses cross the line in the previous race.They would be betting for at least 15-20 minutes before the chosen few would price their boards,when all the dust has settled about 10 minutes before the off time of the race.The first betting show only gets sent to the betting shops then.There can be plenty of value for on-course punters where as the betting shop punters are been short changed with deflated prices.The simple fact is that ALL bookmakers should be included in the sample and not left to the chosen few to distort the market.I have witnessed many times standing in the racecourse betting shop, how long the majority of bookmakers in the betting ring would be betting, and the first show to reach the betting shop screens.I dont think its fair to tarnish the majority of bookmakers with this debacle,some of these would not be the worst in the world.

Irish bookmakers always operated with much larger over-rounds than Britain.