Respect Us Punters, barry!

Bi, you are very disrespectful to us punters.Reading on the dave mollet post, you were nasty towards hibernia and a few others.Everyone has the right to have a say.Dont say he is not a horseman.I think you are not a horseman and you are only in for the money.We need to form a punters association a.s.a.p.

scareface just remember to log out of your whitehouse sign in

Scarface, why dont you just leave racing and go to casino's where the takeout is 0 (zero percent). You will be happy there and will not need a gamblers association as all casinos are very honest. They are charities that care for gamblers which racing obviously do not do. We know what the take-out from the tote is. Can you tell me what the average take-out of casino's in South Africa is, and explain to me how it works? Why do they have a take-out, or rake or whatever they call it?

Barry is 1 million percent correct.

I humbly submit to you that nobody involved in racing or breeding or training Thoroughbreds is in it strictly for the money. They are in it for the lifestyle, the action and the occasional thrills it can provide.

There are a helluva lot easier ways to make money than being involved in horse racing!

Flogging a dead horse, I would be happy to support both bookmakers (and exchanges, should they ever be legalised in SA), if the simple rule were in place to make them contribute to the stakes pot in the same way the tote has to - but then as with most things in life, simple theoretic principles seem hard to put into practice.

I have been reading a lot about punters needing to form an association, so why hasn't any of the people suggesting this started one (facebook lends itself to this)? I think the answer is a lack of commitment.

IS THERE ANY OTHER SPORT that has people with such big fucken egos...i want to apologize from the bottom of my aas for looking for the best deal when it comes to my punting.believe it or not punters will find other alternatives to bet on if racing became extinct in south africa..is it the punters fault that firstly the tote offers shit services and products and is it the punters fault that racing cannot find sponsors for its sport as was shown last week on phums richest raceday which had NOT ONE SPONSOR..

A couple of questions from someone who follows racing from a distance.

Are bookmakers allowed to sponsor races? If not would this not be a good way to get some money back from them? If so why do I never see bookmakers sponsoring races?

Brent I stand to be corrected but I think that bookmakers who offer the open bet are banned from the course. I would guess that this may extend to sponsorship. Very much a catch 22.

The industry is in dire need of a new way of doing business.

Brent do not have a list, but I am sure plenty bookies sponsor races "bookmakers handicap", plus Interbet/Abc sponsor a race on the Julie charity day.
Maybe we can have some inputs?

betting world are massive sponsors but we know who owns them dont we..the very people who would like bookies banned

Pirates post got me thinking on how racing got to where we are now,and do some zero based thinking.
Racing originated as the sport of kings,with royalty racing their horses against each other for stakes they themselves, put up!I have no doubt the peasants then wagered against each other,
as to the results!
At which stage did the royals start robbing the peasants, in the form of a take out,to make up the prize?
Why should punters give a shyte whether their punting improves the stakes.Punting, by nature, has selfish motives.
As a punter I have enjoyed more success in novice and progress plates, than July Handicaps, so stakes are not a necessity for good punting,per se'.
I have punted for 40 years,had colours for over 20,dabbled at breeding and had a bookmakers business so have worn most caps but feel that its the punter that gets least recognition for their contribution,so they are are unlikely to feel they owe racing more than they owe any other betting form.

Millions are bet &/or traded on soccer,rugby tennis,golf,motor sport etc. and I am not aware of any "takeout" going towards prize money in any of those sports,so why do punters owe racing the stake money?(who gets the stakes portion of the take out on TAB soccer 6's BTW.... the soccer clubs? the leagues? I think not!)

If stakes are not adequate, let entry fees be increased to boost them.Owners won't like that but look at the upside for punters.If every owner had R5000 and upwards in the pot, every time their horses ran,fewer horses would be "out for the run"or"need the run", as owners would be looking for maximum return from every race they enter.Preparing horses,in races,for bigger races, would become costly.My guess is,form might become more reliable!
Racing needs to ATTRACT more money to the tote,rather than arrogantly believe it has a divine right to it!

Rob, could you help answe the question that I asked scarface to answer?

"Can you tell me what the average take-out of casino's in South Africa is, and explain to me how it works? Why do they have a take-out, or rake or whatever they call it?"