Politics Sensible
budgeting from the British Greyhound Racing Fund has seen an unexpected surplus being used for the advantage of everyone.
GREYHOUND RACING
INITIATIVES ARE SET TO BOOST TURNOVER
Brand
protection guidelines for
Olympics OLYMPICS W
Fund surplus being put to good use
GREYHOUND RACING T
hree recent grey- hound racing ini- tiatives are set to boost turnover in the shops, online
and at the tracks. The BAGS/SIS 500 series races are graded competitions run at all the tracks covered by the in shop service with heat winners receiving £150 prize money and the winner of the final £500.
The competition has proved popular with shop punters as well as those on course, while the tracks have experienced increased attendances. Connections are also delighted with the enhanced prize money and the chance to win a trophy. Running alongside the BAGS/500 series is the new Owners’ Bonus series, which was launched by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) in October. The second competition has been funded to the tune of £1m by the governing body after the British Greyhound
Racing Fund (BGRF) raised more money through the voluntary levy than had been budgeted. It is being run at all 25 GBGB tracks and has been co-ordinated not to clash with the BAGS/SIS competition. GBGB practitioner direc- tor John Haynes said: “The Owners’ Bonus Series is a product of the Racing Sub- committee trying to find a way to best distribute the increase we have seen allo- cated to prize money. I’m sure that the grass roots will welcome this exciting series and get right behind it. We are hoping that tracks can put on racing across as many grades as possible to benefit the maximum number of owners and trainers.” The third initiative is the launch of Racing Post Grey- hound TV, which is being funded by Hills, Ladbrokes, Coral, Bet365 and Betfair. Featuring the bookmaker owned tracks; Newcastle, Sunderland, Monmore,
Crayford, Romford and Hove, the channel will show two meetings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and is available on Sky Channel 231, Freesat Channel 402 and on the web- sites of the funding book- makers and the Racing Post. The coverage for the new channel is being provided by SIS, whose LBO division MD Phil Siers said: “I am delighted SIS is partnering with Racing Post Grey- hound TV. SIS will transmit the programme feed, via its new fibre-optic network and will be responsible for exclusive syndication of the content to the market. In addition, a full SIS data feed will be available to support betting.
“For some time we have been looking to extend our services in the e-gaming space. Greyhounds is proven betting content, gen- erating high levels of turnover and this is another product we add to our ever
increasing portfolio for the e-gaming market. We look forward to a successful and fruitful partnership with Racing Post Greyhound TV.” As chair of the BGRF and of BAGS, Tom Kelly is at the centre of the sport and he spoke to Betting Business after the BGRF board meeting last month: “There is a time lag before we know if the Fund has benefitted, but anecdotally I am hearing that shop turnover has increased because of the SIS/Bags series and the new BAGS intertrack competi- tion and the tracks are expe- riencing increased attendance and turnover.” Kelly added that it was important that the initia- tives were worthwhile to BAGS as well as the tracks and practitioners: “It’s a two pronged approach; there has to be something in it for the off course betting indus- try as well as the tracks, but so far it looks as if that is gwhat is happening.”
ANALYSIS
If the initiatives give the sport a boost in revenues, then it is possible they will be able to generate the funds to repeat them next year, but it is not something that greyhound racing is counting upon. Tom Kelly was cautious about Fund income from the voluntary levy going forward: “Last year we budgeted for a decrease in income and when our expectations were exceeded we were able to invest in these initiatives. Looking to next year we realise that the general economic situation is against us so we’re budgeting for revenue to stay the same. Hopefully, these initiatives will enable us to exceed that and we will once again be able to invest a surplus.”
High street report wants LBO planning category REVIEW T
he Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has hit back at claims from a recent gov- ernment-commission study into the high street that betting shops are ‘blighting our high streets’.
The report, compiled by ‘high street queen’ Mary Portas, also suggested that betting shops should have their own ‘suis generis’ plan- ning category, moving away from A2 retail, forcing each new betting shop premises to obtain costly and bureau- cratic planning permission. The ‘Portas Review’ rec- ommended: “I also believe
our high streets. Circum- venting legislation which prohibits the number of betting machines in a single bookmakers, I understand many are now simply opening another unit just doors down. This has led to a proliferation of betting shops often in low-income areas.
that the influx of betting shops, often in more deprived areas, is blighting
22 BettingBusinessInteractive • JANUARY 2012
“Currently, betting shops are oddly and inappropri- ately in my opinion classed as financial and profes- sional services. Having betting shops in their own class would mean that we can more easily keep check on the number of betting
shops on our high streets.” ABB chief executive Dirk
Vennix suggested that LBOs were actually a boon for the struggling high street: “The evidence simply does not justify tighter planning reg- ulation for bookmakers. Shop vacancy rates cur- rently stand at over 14 per cent nationally. Betting shops fill a small number of these premises - paying almost £1bn in tax every year, supporting 100,000 jobs and driving footfall for struggling high streets.” A change to a betting shop specific use class would also involve local pol-
itics; not a good mix for gam- bling businesses. At least in the pre-Gambling Act days the demands test for new betting shops was presided over by magistrates rather than the political minefields of local councils. Vennix added that the high street should be gov- erned by market forces: “We are a mainstream leisure industry allowing 8m adults to enjoy their pastime in a safe, fair and regulated environment. It is the consumer who should have the final choice on what can and cannot be enjoyed.”
hile many
bookmakers are lukewarm about
the betting potential for this year’s Olympic Games in London, there are still plenty of sports being featured that will attract turnover. However bookmakers will have to be very careful as to how they promote these markets to customers, given the extensive copyright protection afforded to the Olympics and anything that pertains to them.
Fortunately, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will
supplement its existing brand protection guidance when it publishes its Brand Protection Guidelines for Betting Operators early this year.
The Guidelines will include practical examples of what the betting industry can and cannot do in terms of referring to the Games and the use of certain Olympic, Paralympic and London 2012 related names, marks, logos and designs, in light of the protection offered by specific legislation as well as copyright, registered trademarks and common law. In general guidance issued by LOCOG last year, companies were told: “Do respect the investments made by official London 2012 sponsors to gain an exclusive right of association with the Games. Do advertise your goods or services without creating an association with the Games. “Don’t suggest an association between your products or services and the Olympic Games and/or Paralympic Games, or London 2012. This includes in advertising but also in any
marketing material or sales promotions, as well as in major internal corporate marketing and employee engagement activities.”
ACTION IMAGES / STEVEN PASTON
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