Business Bulletin 9 April 2017
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Ascot maintains independent stance on issue of pool betting
Ascot has ploughed its own furrow on a number of issues in recent years and officials there have decided to go their own way when it comes to the liberalisation of pool betting from 2018.
The course was lukewarm in its support for the authorised betting partner policy and for a number of years had a foot in both the Attheraces and Racecourse Media Group camps when it came to television and betting shop media rights.
Last week Ascot said it was going to launch its own pool betting operation next summer – AscotBet – and not join the racecourse collective looking to launch its own service when Betfred’s exclusive pool betting licence expires in July 2018.
Ascot’s project will be supported by the existing Betfred-owned system in a five-year deal which means that in a sector which relies on liquidity to be successful there are set to be at least two operations running in parallel from next summer.
Chief executive Guy Henderson said: “AscotBet is all about delivering to our 600,000 customers that race with us annually the best possible betting service that we can bring them.
“All courses are different and in this context our particular challenge is the scale and profile of our operations. After a really extensive review over 18 months the clear conclusion was that the right way forward in 2018 for our customers was for AscotBet to be supported by Totepool’s proven systems and infrastructure.”
Henderson added: “The racecourse collective will be launching with a business model without Ascot and I am absolutely sure it will be a success, and we wish it well.”
Neil Goulden, chairman-designate for the racecourse-owned pool betting operation, did not wish to comment on Ascot’s decision.
However, he said: “What our project offers is a partnership whereby racecourses collectively own and run their own on-course pool operation and share in growing income from other channels of distribution.”
He added: “We continue to work with the vast majority of racecourses and hope to make an announcement shortly.”
Not much National pain for bookies
Having avoided a multi-million pound hammering a week earlier when Bravery foiled a Ryan Moore four-timer in the Lincoln, bookmakers said they did not suffer much damage following the victory of One For Arthur in the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree.
Michael Shinners of SkyBet expressed the prevailing mood when he said: “One For Arthur was not unsupported with ourselves, although we had far worse results, including Definitly Red. Cause Of Causes and Blaklion were popular each-way which meant the result was pretty much a level race.”
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “It wasn’t quite as good as recent years but we can’t really complain. Blaklion and Definitly Red would have been lousy so we dodged the worst of it.”
Some other firms were bemoaning the placed horses, which they claimed turned an even result into a losing one. Katie Baylis from Betfair said: “One For Arthur goes down as a quite well-backed winner of the race having been popular with punters all day.
“The placed horses were also quite punter friendly with the well-backed favourite Blaklion finishing fourth, meaning punters have come out well in front on the day. But we mustn’t grumble as the National has been brilliant for us in recent years.”
Betfred chief Fred Done was quoted as saying: “It was not one for the bookies and we’ll be paying out to Arthurs everywhere plus our Scottish shops will be very busy after a 38-year wait.”
Operators refuse to be drawn into Gibraltar row
The gambling sector is one of the main industries in Gibraltar but bookmakers who have based their remote gambling operations there have refused to get drawn into the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the territory following the triggering of Article 50.
Around 3,000 people are estimated to be employed by the gambling industry in Gibraltar, with another 1,000 indirectly depending on the sector for employment, many of them living on the Spanish side of the border.
One senior figure from the Gibraltar industry said there had been predictions of the sector’s demise for a number of years, yet “each and every hurdle has been overcome”, although Brexit and the potential border issue with Spain was “as big a challenge as any”.
Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, said anything which might put Gibraltar’s position as a hub for the online industry “would be a cause for concern”.
However, in a short statement Ladbrokes’ director of media David Williams said he expected business to carry on as normal. “We’ve had operations in Gibraltar for many years and look forward to sustaining that presence for many more years to come,” he said.
Star Sports to sponsor Greyhound Derby
Bookmakers Star Sports have been confirmed as the new sponsors of the Greyhound Derby at Towcester on an initial two-year deal which the firm’s founder Ben Keith hopes “will be extended for the rest of my life”.
Keith had initially expressed an interest in following William Hill as Derby sponsor at Wimbledon, but became a champion for Towcester’s cause in terms of becoming the new host when it was obvious Wimbledon’s days were numbered.
Having warned that Hills’ generous sponsorship levels had left “levels of expectation artificially high”, Keith admitted he had been forced to “considerably up our initial offer” to Towcester to clinch the deal for the £175,000 to-the-winner competition, which carries a total prize fund of double that.
Keith said: “As a lifelong greyhound racing fan there is no bigger race in the sport than the Greyhound Derby and we are truly honoured to be sponsoring the first running of such a prestigious prize at Towcester.
“This represents another exciting chapter in our history and a particularly special one for me as greyhound racing is in my blood. We look forward to working with Towcester to deliver a top- class sporting event.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”1509″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Sed nec orci nulla. Aenean venenatis felis massa, a tincidunt dolor laoreet non. Suspendisse vitae nibh a odio dapibus porta at eget dolor. Aliquam gravida nec ipsum ac tempor. Duis dolor sem, commodo vitae suscipit a, faucibus nec nibh. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. Maecenas vel metus vehicula, efficitur ipsum vitae, lacinia leo. Suspendisse ut finibus sem. Vivamus laoreet quis ligula nec iaculis.
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Sed nec orci nulla. Aenean venenatis felis massa, a tincidunt dolor laoreet non. Suspendisse vitae nibh a odio dapibus porta at eget dolor. Aliquam gravida nec ipsum ac tempor. Duis dolor sem, commodo vitae suscipit a, faucibus nec nibh. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. Maecenas vel metus vehicula, efficitur ipsum vitae, lacinia leo. Suspendisse ut finibus sem. Vivamus laoreet quis ligula nec iaculis.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][bsf-info-box icon=”Defaults-envelope-o” icon_size=”32″ pos=”left”]For more information, please get in touch – james.derbyshire@racingpost.com or visit b2b.racingpost.com.[/bsf-info-box][vc_column_text]Racing Post B2B caters for all digital content requirements across web, mobile, tablet and retail. But we are more than just a data provider – we enhance raw data with the best and most recognisable content authored by the biggest names in sports betting. Racing Post B2B offers an unrivalled worldwide content portfolio for bookmakers and media associations. Acknowledged throughout the racing and gaming industries, the Racing Post creates bespoke products suited to your audience that will enable your company to maximise profitability by offering unique data, editorial or multi-media solutions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]