Blame yourself Phumelela not the Open Bet..

For too long now the open bet has been the villan in racing. I have suggested that I would be taking my betting elsewhere if the situation did not improve. This morning I decided to deposit funds in my previously stagnant Hollywood Account(I only opened it as a friend of mine worked there and asked me to do so) I have had very few bets there and maybe deposited three or four times in my life though I log on almost everyday to use the online FREE winning form(I paid for a Computaform subscription).
I went to the Boksburg branch at about 9h30 this morning expecting to see it closed until 10 am. This is the usual time my local TAB normally opens. I was shocked to see that it was open for business and opens at 8AM DAILY. The staff were all dressed in uniform the place was clean as a whistle. There was a security guard at the door with a metal detector and lock up doors for safety. The place had enough chairs and tables and food and drink was available (not sure of the menu but at least something to eat and drink) I did not have my account no with me but the operator called over a supervisor that did a quick search and my deposit was done. the transaction was done without screaming as there was no glass wall between me and the operator. There were racing tickets available for me to fill in without me having to ask thereby not tying up the tote operator when he/she is taking a bet. The form for the DAYS racing ,Local and international, was displayed on the wall. I was also shocked to see that if I bought any of the publications in the stable(S post, winning form etc) from the outlet I would get them cheaper than from the CNA or local Cafe. Scratchings are displayed on a board and are updated regularly'

Now let's talk about some of the totes I visit.
Most only open half an hour before the first race(so early morning punters that wish to have a bet on late racing are excluded or have to find time during the day to transfer funds or take a bet or WITHDRAW/CASH a winning ticket - that's if you are not told to come back after 12pm as they have no money until bets are struck)
The staff are not always dressed in uniform and it is almost impossible to tell who the manager is.
Getting tickets to punt is a hastle as you have to approach a window and then get fed two or three. HOWEVER SOCCER 6 tickets are ALLWAYS available. Telebet tickets are Jurrasic and you call or write your account no a scarap of paper if you wish to desposit. I never withdraw from a branch(rather phone in and transfer to my bank) so i cannot comment on how you do so without a form - perhaps you again have to approach the window for a withdrawl/deposit slip.
There is a single coke vending machine.
The place is normally dirty with tickets strewn everywhere. The cleaning person sits behind the window and it seems cleans the floor three times a day - what they are paid for for the rest of the day seems to be a combination of going out to buy food for the rest of the staff and to sometimes sit behind the window and dispense tickets to punters.
If you wish to take a call bet you scream your lungs out because the glass protecting the teller is so thick the teller cannot hear you.
The local form is hardly ever displayed and sometimes the international form is from two days earlier(MARGS can attest to this).
If you decide you want to buy a computaform(or express) you more often than not have to wait until someone can be found to take them out of the safe and then there is a scurry around to find change as the takings for the item are kept in a little plastic bankbag.
There IS NO SECURITY around so any fool with a gun can waltz in and rob the punters.
There are really nice scribbled notes on the toilet doors saying "toilet keys R1".
During a race the volume is not adjusted and the TV's are often on the blink.
Operators sit behind windows not taking bets while only one window is open and long lines are formed until someone with a bit of savvy or fear tells them to open the window.
The beauty of all this is that the totes have CCTV in place and the person/s responsible to check on performance obviously does not bother to watch the footage.
The codes for the day's racing venues are printed out on a slip of paper as big as a autobank statement and stuck onto one on the windows(normally the window that is open for bets which causes congestion as the punters compete for slips/scratchings and bets all at once.
Scratchings require you to ask for a printout ate the window as the scrolling screen is often stuck on the first five races.

I have had one or two problems at hollywood but they were sorted out without major pain

Now I ask Phumelela why should punters use your product? Anyone that thinks that I may be bitter or have a gripe with Phumelela(I have many friends employed there and all are filled with a passion for racing) please note that I took time out of my life to show P management these problems months and in some cases years ago so there is no excuse as I tried to stop and correct these problems before they became a public issue. A quick search on this site will reveal many posts on this subject by myself and other posters years ago. These problems were brought to managements attention and nothing was done yet we hear that the OPEN BET is killing racing and stakes- Not true BAD SERVICE and poor planning is combined with staff that would be better suited to work in the OLD POST OFFICE than in a tote - they have ZERO passion for the game and could not care less if the punter gets his bet on or not.
The PUNTER walks into your branch wanting to give YOU MONEY why are you so intent on neglecting them? Owners that bemoan their lot should look to the reasons why the totes are emptying out -
I have no doubt there are people that have negative thingto say about bookmakers as I rarely use them so my experience is limited but as first impressions go Hollwood is a Porche while the totes are like banged up student BEETLES.
I love my exotics (Exactas etc) so it pains me to lose my 6% but I've taken the position that I want to enjoy my racing not hate it because TOTE management are so far removed from the branches that the operators can do as they like while plans are being made to expand futher into the world and the local punter is treated like a leper. I am not employed by Hollywood or any bookmaker so I really have no intrest in promoting one or the other - infact as an owner I'd love to see the tote get back to the glory days when lines were full as "Day trippers" tried to get a bet on the July or Met.
My advice to owners is to get Phumelela to shape up because if you ran your own business in this fashion you would not have the money to feed a Pidgeon let alone a horse!
I do not beleive that I'm a customer that expects too much - I get better service from my local Cafe so no excuses are necceasary just start by getting rid of dead wood and get the remaining people to understand the punter and his needs.

Also can say that very senior members of the present RA Board have pointed out these problems to Phumelela but nothing gets done.

Hey Mr H ,Oscar is planning visiting some totes and taking some snap then doing a comparison with the bookies and some oversees venues he was in this year

I used to take pics and send them on but as usual two weeks later same story and wasted MMS

Thanks for the post Mr H

want an AFRICAN EXPERIENCE..
that's what the tour operators sell to the overseas visitors....

take them to Westonaria tote..
get mugged..the full monty

The open bet is a symptom not the cause.

The real problem lies in the fact that the horse racing industry and the tax man rely far too heavily on the punter's wallet. And there is increasing competition for that wallet. In a sea of choice why would punters choose the rawest deal?

The industry should look hard at the experience of that other great seabed of gambling, the stock exchange. From the mid '90s to now volumes have skyrocketed, and the main reasons for that is improved technology, but more importantly hugely reduced trading costs. Brokerage has gone from 1% or 2% per trade down to 0.05% - 0.25% over this period, but the punt...err traders are happy, the brokerages are happy, the JSE is happy, even the tax man is happy, and volumes are massive compared to mid 90's.

A 20% to 21% take out is no longer feasible given the increased competition for the punter's wallet. Take less out and people will have more in their pocket to plough back in. And they will feel a heck of a lot happier doing so.

Archangel,surely the takeout is the whole point of the tote? to raise funds for the stake pot?

hibernia Wrote:

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> Archangel,surely the takeout is the whole point of
> the tote? to raise funds for the stake pot?


Of course, but my point is that rugby, soccer, cricket, etc is not so encumbered, so sports betting offers much better value. The question is whether reducing the take would increase the volume. Do they take 21% of R50k or 10% of R200k or 5% of R500k? It may take a little while but better value always attracts the cash.

They could equally increase the takeout to 50% but it would be 50% of zip.

You make some valid points Arch

I raised a similar point as Arch. some time ago,and that is that racing is the only sport,that I am aware of,that funds it's prizemoney from betting(other than where punter and player are one and the same)
I question the sustainability of this,and alternate sources of stakes will probably have to be found!

Mr H, I speak under correction, but the self-same Hollywood branch in Boksburg was robbed in October/November.
But I agree, it is very sufficiently run.

Mr H writes: "My advice to owners is to get Phumelela to shape up because if you ran your own business in this fashion you would not have the money to feed a Pidgeon let alone a horse!"

Everybody in the racing industry will agree with you, but may I ask you for even one single suggestion that will make them listen, and not get me banned in the process.