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Send the ROA your views on any topic in racing and we’ll post them here.

 

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Subject: ROA President Rachel Hood's September Blog, Aug 2011

See full blog here>>

• 26 Aug 2011, email from ROA member, Mr M. Bisogno, in response to the ROA President's blog commenting on the 'Deafening silence over Tote sale'
  

On the subject of the tote sale to Betfred, I think racing administration needs to take a long dispassionate look at itself after this reverse, and acknowledge that the Government probably didn’t trust our own authorities with a commercial venture such as the Tote.

On the basis of recent history, that is unsurprising. Rachel’s post intimates that monies from the tote would have gone into racing – fair enough – but does little to outline what efforts would be employed to make the tote more competitive from its current laughable betting offering.

For instance, it’s simply preposterous to persist with a bet that continually fails to even remotely match the cumulative SP return (totejackpot), except when there is a multiple rollover. The Scoop6 continues to be won by syndicates, largely because of the financial barriers to entry, and the average totewin pool is little more than I have in my pocket in spare change right now (£2.84, for the record).

Racing may have wanted to guarantee its share of the profits from the tote, but if they continue to fall as they currently are, then 100% of very little may be less appetizing than 20% (or whatever) of a considerably more.

The fact is that Betfred, until quite recently a one man enterprise from Manchested, has demonstrated aggressive marketing acumen to set his chain apart on the high street. Were he to bring such innovation to the Tote it could be the best thing that’s happened to the ‘nanny’ for a very, very long time.

Of course, I understand that racing needs assurances about funding, but blithely assuming that the money won’t come and that racing authorities would have done a better job is at best moot, and at worst ignorant and palpably incorrect.

I remain fascinated to see whether the perceived ‘asset stripping’ of the tote happens. In point of fact, it’s hardly in Betfred’s interests to do that, as it now has its own stand alone business, plus the best affiliate business in racing – totedirect in every betting shop around the country.

I would welcome the opportunity to share my thoughts, based on a lot of research on tote wagering around the world (including in countries where there is no tote monopoly), with Betfred.