Contents


5-11 Cornish Bookmakers Chris Pitt goes south to meet bookmakers Camelford Racing, Camelot EasyBet and Cornish Racing Services


14 Star Sports Ben Keith discusses his new hedging service


18 GTECH G2 Expansion won’t change core business


22 SIS


Mary Pitt goes behind the scenes at SIS’ state-of-the-art facility


28 Brent Dolan


Mary Pitt profiles the man who has been at SIS since day one


Chief Executive: Lesley Sharman Editor: Mary Pitt Regular Contributors: Chris Pitt, Graham Sharpe


Bookmakers Office Supplies Ltd., PO BOX 2 Woodbridge Suffolk, IP12 3JN Tel: 01394 383420 Fax: 01394 383420 Email: lesley@bosmagazine.fsnet.co.uk www.bosmagazine.co.uk Printed: Pensord, Blackwood, Wales


BOSmagazine No 179 July/August 2010 SIS


GTECH G2 Star Sports


Cornish bookmakers


Issue No: 179 Cover: Inside


Camelots Easy Bet’s shop in Truro


Picture: Mary Pitt


Comment


FOUR YEARS AGO,we visited the northernmost independent bookmaker in the UK, Scotscoup, whose most northerly shop was in Thurso. In this issue, we profile the southernmost independent bookmaker, Camelot Easybet in Truro. Now perhaps we should aim for the westernmost independent in Wales. And why stop there? Easternmost, anyone?


ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2011 UK fixture list has been postponed until later in the summer due to the decrease in funding of prize money from the Levy. There is also talk of cutting at least 250 race meetings next year that are owned by the BHA. A reduction in the number of meetings, from a record 1503 this year, could be construed as a potential crisis, but in my opinion it is more of a long overdue and inevitable correction. In the next few years, racing could, in fact maybe should, see a contraction, but this would have to be evenly proportional across the board, at all levels. Cutting the number of meetings ought to lead to better prize money for the


Mary Pitt Editor


remaining races, with larger fields, meaning more interesting betting opportunities. Having five or six UK meetings on a weekday just doesn’t make sense. I propose having three or four meetings a day, with staggered first post times.


For example, one meeting starting at 12.30 or 1.00, to attract a lunchtime crowd into betting shops, another at 2.00 or 2.30, a twilight meeting at 5.30, then an evening meeting at 6.45. This would provide a constant flow of action for shops, not a clump of races all coming on top of each other with long blank periods in between. Several independent bookmakers have mentioned to us recently that the action,


be it live or virtual, comes thick and fast. There needs to be some spacing of events or punters could become overwhelmed and decide not to bet as much or as often. As well as spacing race times, there’s also geographical separation to consider.


Since the 50-mile rule was done away with, it’s not uncommon to have three courses racing in the south, with nothing north of, say, Southwell. There should be at least one meeting each in the north, middle and south of Britain each day. This would increase options for trainers and potentially reduce the amount and expense of travel for some jockeys. Racing should be staged, not only when it would provide custom for shops, but


also for when people can and want to go. Summer Monday evenings at Windsor have become popular, but winter Wednesdays at Kempton have not. Racing should be staged on most Friday and Saturday evenings, to give people who are looking for a night out the option of going racing. Racing For Change plans a racecourse accreditation scheme with Visit England,


the official English tourist board. This is a good idea, and by including racing in tourism brochures and on websites, gives racing exposure to a wider audience by including it as another leisure activity option for visitors and holidaymakers. It may be encouraging, then, that new Gambling Minister John Penrose’s remit also includes tourism, since the new Government has taken responsibility for racing and gambling away from the DCMS. All-weather racing is important, maybe more so in winter with the risk of abandoned meetings, but there should continue to be all-weather racing at other times of the year, for variety and for those horses who prefer that surface. And also for the floodlit tracks that can stage evening racing on non-midsummer Friday and Saturday nights.


I don’t profess to have all the answers, and plenty of others have offered their suggestions and opinions, but I do feel that the racing calendar in Britain needs altering. Maybe ‘streamlining’ would be a better way to put it.n


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BOS Magazine July/August 2010 3


Picture: Mary Pitt


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