IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer, TERRY BUTTS, reports how a well-known critic of the corporate bookmakers could be winning his battle.
Butts also reports how comments from the new CEO of the Mackay Turf Club hasn’t won him any friends with stakeholders in the region.
Here is his column:
IS FEDERAL REGULATION OF SPORTS AND RACE BETTING ON THE HORIZON?
RACING punter and well-known critic of much-maligned corporate bookies, Richard Irvine, is gaining support for his campaign against corporates who ban winning punters and are intent on only catering for losers.
At long last, maybe, someone is listening.
Is Federal regulation of sports and race betting on the horizon?
It would certainly be a welcome move.
And Irvine says the inquiry “would not have to look far for the evidence of just how ruthless these bookies are”.
He says Sportsbet CEO, Cormac Barry, is already on the public record admitting his team of analysts spend their days “monitoring customer behaviour, monitoring customer bets and looking for patterns in their bets”.
“Gone are the days when they would analyse form and odds.
“Now, corporate bookies sit back and copy odds from other betting markets and bookmakers all over the world. They then let all their losing clients bet off those markets.
“The analysts then trawl through all bets on these markets looking for punters who back winners. When these punters with an edge are found they are shown the door.
“The old school skills of bookmaking are lost on the new breed of corporates. As businessmen and women they obviously have acumen, but as bookmakers they can only be considered as lazy, passive and talentless.
“Further, if governments, via their regulatory bodies, condone an industry in which people can only lose money, isn’t that a problem?
Surely!
“This absolutely is a big issue, but it does not attract the media coverage it warrants”.
For that he blames the big advertising budgets of the corporates.
“Sky should have enough independent journalistic integrity to at least allow some debate over the issue. Much smaller issues get a lot of air-time on what is now the sole racing channel”.
Bookies Response!
Mr Irving said: “With the reasonable amount of media coverage I have received, the corporate bookies, when asked to comment in response to my claims have mostly ignored the requests or used the same disappointing, embarrassing line: ‘We ban a very small amount of professional punters to protect the odds for our valued recreational gamblers’.”
Naturally no one believes that utter garbage.
NEW MACKAY CEO FAILS TO IMPRESS STAKEOLDERS WITH FIRST INTERVIEW
THE Mackay Turf Club installed its new (and latest) CEO. Ross Prowd, the-ex Bundaberg secretary-manager, turned up at Ooralea last week and made an immediate impact at his very first media interview.
He told the racing public of the sugar city that he was so concerned about the race dates allocation.
In fact, he said: “For us to hold more race meetings that essentially don't contribute to the profitability of the organisation certainly isn't a high priority.”
Oops!
This came just a week after the Member for Mirani, Jim Pearce, lambasted Racing Queensland for taking away race dates – and is so incensed – he has threatened to take the issue to the floor of Parliament.
Mr Pearce claims the lack of dates was a threat to the viability of racing in Mackay and to the Central Queensland economy.
Trainers Lyle Wright and Wayne Pomfrett have already announced they are ready to pack up because the 18 race dates allocated to Mackay next season was ‘simply not enough.’
The new CEO thinks differently.
Proud is the third CEO for the troubled club this year and is hoping to lead the organisation ‘out of the crisis it is facing.’
"I've been working at Bundaberg Race Club – where the situation was actually quite similar to Mackay in many ways," he said.
Prowd said engaging the public and getting more people back to the races was important.
He said many people in the racing industry still lived in the past and refused to change models.
“One of the key things that I plan to do is to get the proper business model and plans in place to operate Mackay Turf Club as a modern 21st Century company,” he said.
“It's also very important for the industry that we reconnect with the industry as a whole.”
And perhaps he might start with a reconnect to his own Ooralea-based stakeholders who I am told are mightily unimpressed with these comments by the newcomer:
“I would always love to race as often as possible but I really want race dates that are suitable for us.
“For us to hold more race meetings that essentially don't contribute to the profitability of the organisation certainly isn't a high priority.”
So you know where the jockeys, owners and trainers and other active racing participants figure on the priority list.
‘JIGGER’ JUST SMALLER VERSION OF FREELY AVAILABLE CATTLE PRODDER
TRACKWORK rider Damien Bradbury, originally from NSW but well known in North Queensland where he is remembered for his ‘wasted ability’, was caught last week at Mornington in possession of a jigger – or as the stewards prefer to describe it – and illegal electrical apparatus.
Bradbury was immediately stood down. He is currently is employed by the Trent Pennuto stable.
Bradbury faces a possible three to five disqualification (if the case is proven) for possessing a device that is used freely by cattlemen all over the world. Cattle prodders, a much larger version of the hand held jigger, are used for the exact same purpose – to encourage cattle to move on.
Many believe – are in fact certain – it is more effective and less painful to the animal than a stock whip. And unlike the less powerful jiggers that are purchased ‘underground’, cattle prodders are on display for purchase at all produce stores around the entire country. A cattleman wouldn’t be without one but in racing they are taboo (as far as stewards are concerned) and attract a heavy sentence.
The Bradbury matter has attracted a lot of public response on various racing blogs such as this:
“Surprise, surprise. A stablehand to take the wrap. Amazing how many trainers know nothing about what goes on in their stable,” said one.
And another: “As if a trackwork jockey would be getting any benefit using it without anyone (else) knowing.”
HOW CAN A FOOTBALLER GET A WEEK AND AN APPRENTICE FOUR MONTHS?
TALKING of anomalies – a role model footballer with one of the highest sporting profiles in the state, goes to court and pleads guilty to drug charges. He is given a slap on the wrist and within a week or so is back on the playing field.
Young Matt McGilvray, with a much less privileged background but a promising young jockey, returned a positive to what has become our teenager’s favourite lolly – emphatamines – and is sidelined for four months.
No one condones drug consumption in any way shape or form but questions the difference in penalties – four months for the apprentice and a week for the footballer?
Come on!
NEW QTA PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH TRAINERS IN NORTH QUEENSLAND
JIM Rundle, president of the newly-formed Queensland Trainers’ Association, will meet with Townsville trainers this Sunday at the Stuart Hotel at 9.30 am.
There will be a meeting at the Gordonvale racecourse at 6.30pm to meet Cairns and dcistrict trainers and there will be another at the Atherton racecourse at 9.30am on Monday.
“The meetings are open and I encourage everyone with an interest in the horse racing industry to attend,” Rundle said.
TWO NEW COMMITTEEMEN APPOINTED TO TOWNSVILLE TURF CLUB
WELL-known Queensland media personality, Scott Hillier, is one of two new committeemen appointed to the Townsville Turf Club.
Hillier is one half of the daily breakfast program on ZINC FM and has made regular appearances on Channel 7.
He has a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for racing and owns shares in horses in both North Queensland and with Peter Moody in Melbourne.
The other newcomer is Brendan Cahill, an analyst with investment firm Korda Mentha. Brendan has a wide variety of skills and knowledge in the finance sector. He, too, is a prominent local owner and regular racegoer.
The two newcomers offer much-needed youth to the committee which is making an all out drive to recruit more membership with an emphasis on the social aspect of racing.
Of course much hinges on the go ahead to establish a new events complex at Cluden, which is subject to finance – as is the much needed stable complex.
It seems quite ludicrous that the club will have a $6 million new racetrack – but no stables – or a suitable on-course venue to entertain the members and public – and to generate internal revenue for the club.
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
