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Letter of the Week

Change for the better

In commenting on my letter of March 24 Pittsburgh Phil (1/4) says there is “no such thing as SP any more”. Well yes — and no. He omitted the words “as we knew it”. 
Of course there is still SP. What may have changed, according to Phil, is the source of the market. To me that is irrelevant.
I was a very regular on-course punter for more than 50 years, including many years working for bookmakers on course, and for at least the last 20 years of that 50-year span an “all clubs” member. 
I was also involved in a small group of seven similarly minded punters who would gather regularly at all metropolitan and some provincial and country meetings.
This group was gradually disbanded by death and the gradual disappearance of quality bookmakers, making for an ever-decreasing size of the betting ring and a lack of competition between its members. The final blow was increased membership fees and reductions in entitlements. 
The remaining members of the group (five) still punt, however, from home online and we still regularly communicate by phone, text and at occasional social gatherings. 
All agree the value is now off course and online.
From his regular letters, almost exclusively critical or cynical, it is obvious Phil harbours a distinct dislike for corporates, or “bouquet bookies” as he terms them. Fair enough. However, to a man, all of my group agree from a punters point of view the advent of online corporate bookmakers is the best thing that ever happened. 
Tell me how you can possibly obtain the same advantages on course. Such features as protest payout, “best of the best” (best fluc or best of the three totes, whichever is the highest), regular specials on selected races, money back if placed (the old concession), expanded fixed odds — the list goes on. Unheard of and not even allowed by legislation on course.
As for Phil claiming the top fluctuation should include the prices estimated on Wednesday night, there have always been estimated prices available since acceptances, but a best fluc bet had to be placed before betting on course opened. That’s fair enough. You could hardly expect the bookmaker to offer best fluc to a punter on say Friday or Saturday morning in full knowledge the best price was long gone. Come on. A deadline for closing off must be set, and that has always been before the opening prices on course.
While I have only my Corporates word, the prices they display as on-course fluctuations on race day are from on course. We now know from Tabcorp’s reply to my letter that their fluctuations are not from on course, but rather their own TAB Fixed Odds. 

 

Paul Connors
Brighton (Qld)
Today's Racing
Thursday 28 March
Friday 29 March
Saturday 30 March