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Contents


5-9 Sportsbook Chris Pitt speaks to Gavin Ferguson and Wayne Stevenson about their growing business


13 The next Wilfred


Sherman? Racing Welfare seeks a benefactor


14-17 Angus 18 British


Dalrymple The former Sporting Life columnist remembers Jack Swift


Champions Day


Chris Pitt reflects on Ascot’s showpiece


23-33 The Bookmakers’


Trade Fair News Review of what was showcased at the Bookmakers’ Trade Fair


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: 0872 110 4345 Email: lesley@bosmagazine.fsnet.co.uk www.bosmagazine.co.uk


BOSmagazine No 187 November/December 2011 Sportsbook


Angus Dalrymple remembers... The Bookmakers’ Trade Fair review


Issue No: 187 Cover: Racing at Wolverhampton, home to the Bookmakers’ Trade Fair


Picture: Mary Pitt


Comment


LABOUR DEPUTY LEADER and recently appointed shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman has come under fire for her comments accusing bookmakers of “predatory profiteering,” and that the “proliferation of bookmakers is damaging the look and feel of our high streets, making them feel less safe and less welcoming.” I’m here to tell her that it’s not the presence of betting shops that make an area feel less safe. The look and feel of the average betting shop has changed out of all recognition in the last ten to fifteen years, and they are now more safe and welcoming than ever before. As a woman, I can honestly say that I feel comfortable going into the vast majority of betting shops on my own. A few of Ms Harman’s other comments are also a bit wide of the mark. For example, she states that FOBTs have turned bookmakers into ‘mini casinos’ in easily accessed shops with no door control and staff not trained to deal with problem gamblers. Huh? Has she even heard of the Gambling Commission? Or Gamcare? Or about the training that staff receive before being allowed to work in a betting shop? Better yet, has she been in a betting shop recently? She states that bookmakers have replaced ‘social amenities’ like post offices and


Mary Pitt Editor


banks. This is not the best example she could have cited. Many people now do their banking and post office business online and, like betting shops, those places deal with large amounts of cash and would be as strong targets for crime as a betting shop. As someone who has been involved in racing for many years, I hear all sorts


of negative comments from the general public about the industry. These kinds of blanket condemnations usually come from those who never set foot on a racecourse. Or a betting shop.


AGREEMENT ONTHE 51st levy scheme was decided literally at the eleventh hour of the October 31 deadline. The big three have agreed to guarantee their contribution will be no less than £45 million, with Betfair’s contribution at £6.5, bringing the total estimated yield to £72.4 million. The yield for the current scheme is said to be £71.4 million. Set to begin on April 1, the new scheme continues under much the same terms


as the present one, with the rate remaining 10.75 per cent on gross profits on British racing. Among the changes will be that operators with less than 100 shops will have an abated rate, applying to up to a maximum of 30 shops, whose gross profits on British racing are less than £52,500. A flat-rate rebate of £400 will be applied for the first 30 shops in any chain and £185 for all other shops.


THE RACING POST recently asked its followers on the Facebook social networking site: what makes a good betting shop? The majority of those replying, both male and female, said a clean shop (with clean restrooms), and knowledgeable and friendly staff, but some other responses included crossing out non-runners on the papers on display so that punters know before writing out their bets, flat- screen TVs, clear screens, showing horses going down to the start, and machines that aren’t so loud that they drown out race commentaries.


THE 2012 FIXTURE list has finally been ratified and will consist of 1,456 fixtures. This is unrealistic. The industry needs to pay closer attention to what kind of races are attracting short fields. The formula is simple: Small fields = less betting = less levy for racing.Doesn’t take a maths whizz to work that one out.n


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BOS Magazine November/December 2011 3


Picture: Mary Pitt


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