Letters: No clue about shop dynamics.
Byline: PETER BAMFORDPeter Bamford questions the BHB's approach
AS A betting shop manager with more than 20 years
experience, I can honestly say that Peter Savill, the BHB chairman, does not have a clue about betting shop
dynamics.
How on earth does he think that an extra 80 meetings a year will significantly increase racing's finances?
All he is doing is playing into the hands of the
accountants who now run the big bookmakers, who cannot seem to grasp that the average punter who has pounds X to spend only has pounds X to spend whether there is one meeting or 101 meetings.
If Savill really wants to
increase racing revenue he should try reducing fixtures by 30 per cent and urge racecourses to charge a maximum of, say, pounds 5 entrance to Tatts for non-festival meetings.
This would encourage more people to go racing and, with fewer meetings, you would get bigger, more competitive fields.
Finally, I think that all parties (BHB, bookmakers and the Jockey Club) have forgotten what the sport is about.
Thoroughbred racing is about producing the best of breed. How does 0-45 do this? These animals are low- class and should not be
racing, because you will still have animals who are so slow they will not be able to win, even in this low grade.
What next, 0 to minus 45?
PETER BAMFORD
Southport
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| Title Annotation: | Sports |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Racing Post (London, England) |
| Date: | Aug 4, 2003 |
| Words: | 231 |
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