Some positive suggestions for Phumelela

all the time we bitch and moan about what is wrong and we never offer solutions. the following i will do if i were ceo of phumelela.

- the open bet is what is the big problem. we now that phumelela gets a minimum of 25% of every rand on tote bets. on the open bets it get 3% from winning bets only from bookmakers. go this route. offer 15% of tote turnover to every bookie that has open bets. in this way the bookie gets a very attractive return for supporting the tote and dont carry any risk. give the bookies the tote equipment needed, train his staff for free to operate this and phumelela immediately get 10% minimum on turnover, much more than they currently do.

give a 6 month indemnitey to all open bets bookies then throw the book at getting the legalities sorted and prosecute offenders.

- the racing experience is poor. the ra is worthless, it does nothing. the 15% you pay to off course bookies you add to the dividend of on course bets. so if a horse pay 10 rand a win, if you play the tote at the course you get paid 11,50. same through all bets. you will soon get more punters to the course. spend money on family areas like braai areas, picnic spots, child care centres. make these upmarket and something you would all be comfortable in visiting even if the horses arent there. by doing this you get families to the races where mom and dad can leave the kids to enjoy themselves whilst they PUNT. get a decent pub/restuarant for the public. not everyone is comfortable in furious/elevation. calvins is a whole, i wont take my mother in law their. have ex jockeys/trainers/racing personalities doing a daily "how to bet and how it works" talk every morning prior to racing. educate that not everything is crooked and that with knowlege you can have a fun day and have a chance to make money. you dont need to see spinning wheels and 777 to hit the jackpot.

- pay for printed material in the newspapers. racing needs publicity to get the man on the street to the racetrack. advertise on mainstream radio and try do a deal where commentarys can be heard on these stations.

- have the outdoor concerts, the antique roadshow / cash in the attic and other events at the track during a meeting. you bring new clients in.

- involve the schools. by this you immediately bring the parents. have careers days at the track. everything to do with racing from the trainers, jockeys, down to the grooms show what is involved. let schools get naming rights for races and give them free tickets to sell to parents to raise funds. you will get people their and maybe they come back.

- involve charities more in the same vein.

- be more giving to deserving causes. you are not the hong kong jockey club, but cut back on the fat cat benefits and pay the shareholders 1% less and use that money to help needy causes. kids with aids, orphanages, cripples, you will get much goodwill and start to lose the "mafia" image you have as racing people. make sure the publicity is spread properly in the media

lets list more ideas. racing does not need to be a problem.

Out of the 25% you state how much of it goes towards stakes? would estimate %20+???

Some interesting suggestions but can we not come to grips with the simple fact that the open bet is completely LEGAL. Where are the legalities that need sorting out?

Just make sure the tax that bookmakers pay,comes back to racing..

Agreed, hib. I was merely noting that laying open bets is presently no more an offence than going to the races!

Imvho the problem lies in the structure of racing. Phumelela is lambasted for its actions which are entirely appropriate to a listed company with shareholders whose reason for investing is to obtain dividends and share price appreciation. The problem is that they are also licenced to produce the racing product locally and this has been ignored in favour of higher return operations where marginal costs are negligible.

The solution is simple. Take the right to run local racing away and then charge Phumelela for the right to use racing's intellectual property. This levy on turnover would also apply to bookies and would be used to run local racing. This would encourage business opportunities and open up the current closed shop arrangements.Racecourses could be privatised and business minded people could utilise the assets to generate returns.

Perhaps then another digital tv entrant would be interested in setting up a local subscription service channel to service the racing enthusiasts who find the Tellytrack current offering unacceptable.



Next subject :- How to resolve the middle east issue.

Is it possible for somone to open a race course in SA? re,Great leighs and FFos las in the uk? And who would determine fixtures etc?

I really enjoy the fun days at Randjies, we should use it more, I am sure more people go there than normal racing?
It has a type of UK appearance with the picnic spots and a family day out.
I am sure we have one planned soon, this year it was cancelled due to a license?
If not mistaken, but I will be taking a couple of picnic spots as soon the date is confirmed.

We should try and have one meeting a month imvho

That would be good, Dave. Randjes opens racing to a new audience and underlines how Gauteng needs a track in the more affluent north. Turffies is in a lousy spot and the Vaal is quite honestly hopelessly located and should have been the first to go.

come guys lets keep the waffle to the topic - what would you do if you where the ceo of phumelela

Are you wanting Phumelela to pay bookies 15% commision on their tote turnover?

no hibernia

i talk about their betting on the tote odds. they currently pay 3% on winning tote bets. if the same bet go thru the tote their is at least 25% "profit". so pay 15% commission on turnover and you score 10%.