IS THE TOTE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY?

Let's accept for a moment - whether it is entirely correct or not - a commonly held opinion on this site : The tote management appears to quite like the concept of running 'lottery type' bets rather than offering products which require more skill than luck.

There are a number of examples of this - not least offerings such as French racing where no fixed odds betting is available to guide would be bettors.

So why then do they not adjust their tote software to accept fields of larger than 20 runners and really encourage punters to empty out? Clearly there is quite a large body ( see lottery 'junkies' for example ) who are very happy to take on fields of up to 49 runners in an effort to win 'Oh my God' type money.

We horseplayers on the other hand presently have the possibility of huge pools diluted by the rule where all horses with a saddlecloth number of 20 or greater are coupled as #20.

Last Saturday's Aintree meeting gives a pretty solid example of what could be up for shooting at - a noteworthy meeting because NOT ONE horse with a saddlecloth number of 20 or greater arrived in the first 4 places in each of the last four races. Yet the payouts remained HUGE despite the results being uncharacteristically comparable with South African maximum fields.

The jackpot - despite local competition in the form of major SA meetings - returned a carryover of R 45,119.

The SMALLEST quartet payout was R31,633.

There were carryovers aplenty.

All these figures do is highlight an opportunity BEGGING to be exploited and grown to the advantage of the industry.

Big races are easy to market as many people who are not traditional racegoers have a vague understanding when they are about to take place - PROVIDING a decent marketing effort is made. Races also offer an exciting visual experience linked to the possibility of a windfall.

If the 'big race' in question ( ideally one every Saturday to start with ) were broadcast on 'free to air' TV offering, say, a quartet bet with the prospect of huge dividends, carryovers etc., it should pretty soon stimulate interest which might well spill over into additional bets and heightened awareness. It might also very soon translate into a 'must see' event similar to the Lotto draw with the potential for replays on Channel 200 for those who miss it live.
'
I believe the key would be to restrict it to one 'easy to understand' bet type mixed with a little fun and marketing. At the very least it would attempt to address a fresh market and stimulate interest by removing it from the exclusivity of Channel 232.

What do others think?

Agree with you 100%. I am a fan of turning the Pick 6 into an alterate lotto - will force players to follow every race. I am sure you hav read this befor though

I still fancy a co-mingle with the scoop6?

Thats an evn better plan - earnings need to be filtered back into SA racing though.

Garrick,
I've been following the turnovers on big raceday Japanese racing for quite some time now.
The pattern is this (figures are approx and remarkably consistent)

on course 5%
off course 95%

on course attendance varies from 50.000 on big days to 100.000 people on really big days, and yet it amounts to just 5% (!)

turnover on the big race of the day is 66% to 75% of total turnover

clearly the focus there is on one race, and they presumably promote the hell out of it

btw they have on average 7 racemeeting per week

remember how the Japanese came over to France two years ago when they had a runner on Arc-day, and killed the tote - their horse was odds-on (and much longer with the books in UK on the day; it didn't win, but placed - and was later disqualified for drug-abuse)

I'm in your corner: with focus on one race the turnovers can be boosted dramatically, attracting people outside the normal punter-clan.
The Tierce in France, or at least the way it was many years ago, is a prime example of that.

Our racing operators don't have a clue.

THERE were no winners of the 500th Scoop6 on Saturday afternoon, which means there is a rollover of £518,617 in the win pool next weekend.

Only one ticket was left going into leg five, but the ticket holder's selection Just For Men was pulled up at the 11th fence of Carlisle's 3m½f chase.

With the Scoop6 not won last weekend either, which meant that the bonus could not be won this weekend, that fund now stands at £222,264. All of this means the combined pools next weekend could reach £1million.

Totepool spokesman George Primarolo said: "There is now almost three-quarters of a million pounds in the Scoop6 pools going into next weekend and it could just be that the total up for grabs at the start of racing next weekend could well reach seven figures."

There was another healthy payout in the place fund, with 38 tickets each earning £2,186.30.

Karel Miedema Wrote:

---

> Garrick,
> I've been following the turnovers on big raceday
> Japanese racing for quite some time now.
> The pattern is this (figures are approx and
> remarkably consistent)
>
> on course 5%
> off course 95%
>
> on course attendance varies from 50.000 on big
> days to 100.000 people on really big days, and yet
> it amounts to just 5% (!)
>
> turnover on the big race of the day is 66% to 75%
> of total turnover
>
> clearly the focus there is on one race, and they
> presumably promote the hell out of it
>
> btw they have on average 7 racemeeting per week
>
> remember how the Japanese came over to France two
> years ago when they had a runner on Arc-day, and
> killed the tote - their horse was odds-on (and
> much longer with the books in UK on the day; it
> didn't win, but placed - and was later
> disqualified for drug-abuse)
>
> I'm in your corner: with focus on one race the
> turnovers can be boosted dramatically, attracting
> people outside the normal punter-clan.
> The Tierce in France, or at least the way it was
> many years ago, is a prime example of that.
>
> Our racing operators don't have a clue.


Karel, you have struck on the key to saving this entire game.

I have been preaching the same thing over here in the Ooh Ess of A.

But nobody is listening yet!

The idea of one big daily bet where tickets can be bought anywhere which sells lottery tickets is excellent. The Tierce idea that Karel alludes to has been emulated in Italy (where it's called the Tris) and gets considerable coverage in mainstream newspapers that otherwise ignore racing almost entirely. Sound familiar? Mind you, Italian racing is still on the bones of its ass financially so nothing is protection against bad management!

The 8th race - minimum 12 runners = pick 1st 6 home!

If no winner 50% 'rolled over' to next day -

remaining 50% devided amongst those that picked the 1st 5 home - if none the first 4 etc.

£1 million Scoop6 up for grabs next Saturday


PUNTERS will be playing for combined Scoop6 pools of more than £1 million next week after the bet again proved elusive on Saturday afternoon.

While the Coral Scottish Grand National appeared to pose the biggest obstacle, the action did not get that far as none of the five remaining tickets going into the fourth leg contained 6-1 Newbury winner Lahaleeb.

That means there is a rollover of £697,513 in the win fund next weekend, while the bonus, which could not be won on Saturday, now stands at £291,220.

However there was good news for 31 winners of the place dividend which paid a healthy £2,965.80p.

Tote spokesman, George Primarolo, said: "It had looked beforehand to be a very competitive Scoop6 to solve, and that was the case, but the upside is that punters will now be playing for a seven-figure sum next Saturday."