JB retweeted
Interesting data, but the driver isn't ownership, it's being a monopoly.
Japan and Hong Kong tightly restrict legal gambling. In Hong Kong the Jockey Club controls racing, football betting and the lottery, and casinos are illegal. Racing captures far more of the gambling dollar as a result. Hong Kong's figures are also boosted by high individual wealth and by pools that take in bets from overseas.
Ownership decides where the money goes. Monopoly is the reason that there's so much of it though.
The cost of monopoly falls on punters: takeouts of about 17.5% to 25%, against a 11% margin on online racing here, and no choice of operator or offers.
Britain had a Tote for decades, with profits going to racing. It never dominated, because punters had a choice.
The UK betting market on racing is in decline
Japan bets nearly twice as much on racing as Britain does: £21.5bn a year against £11.0bn.
Hong Kong, with a population of about 7.5 million, bets more than Britain too.
What Japan and Hong Kong have in common is that racing runs the betting. The pools belong to the sport, and the takeout goes back into prize money and racecourses.
If British racing owned its own pool or exchange, would you bet with it?
Follow @mindmodeller for more on where racing's money goes.
@RacingPost @racingoncourse #horseracing @BHAHorseracing @japan_racing
JB retweeted
The illegal betting market continues to increase its market share. This does not benefit UK horse racing nor does it benefit those with gambling issues. Hopefully everyone can agree on that and then help the GC do something about it?
ifhaonline.org/AibResources/…
This is the reality of climate change as it starts to seriously affect horse sport. This is going to be as much a threat to the future of racing as welfare issues or gambling restrictions going forward. A triple threat.
Ludlow Racecourse fears losing an entire season because of damage to its track caused by this summer's hot weather. Bosses say they're hoping the turf can recover in time, but three of their 15 meetings have already been cancelled.
Background: bbc.in/4sRQb9p
JB retweeted
It's utterly pathetic the way BBC presenters like Victoria Derbyshire are told by BBC bosses to say to outspoken interviewees like Bernie Sanders things like "President Trump and his family would deny they are corrupt", or "The Israeli Government would deny they are extremist". It's gross over-reaction to Trump libel action against the BBC.
JB retweeted
BBC reporting BHA inspecting Ludlow next week to assess prospects for the winter.
Ludlow Racecourse fears losing an entire season because of damage to its track caused by this summer's hot weather. Bosses say they're hoping the turf can recover in time, but three of their 15 meetings have already been cancelled.
Background: bbc.in/4sRQb9p
JB retweeted
Tony, the amount of business that we will do today at Plumpton will be minimal. Bookmakers are expected to pay for these fixtures despite the fact that they will generate nothing. There's no incentive for tracks to get runners if they just get paid irrespective of the field sizes
As @TeakleAlex has just pointed out to me, this brings SSR's UK afternoon fixtures to 5 today - so channel could have done without it (races due off at 2.15pm, 2.20pm, 2.25pm, 2.30pm, 2.40pm 2.47pm).
And three of those fixtures are jumps, so it'll be split-screen chaos on SSR.
Plumpton is only 2nd to Fakenham for the lowest no of average runners per race
This in itself is a positive sign and a major step forward…
Celebrities using injunctions as part of their lawfare tactics to evade justice need to be brought to an end. In all instances the law should aim to protect the victims, not the rich and powerful. Criminal behaviour of Brand, Walliams & plenty of others needs to be called out.
JB retweeted
£64 for a ticket to all 4 days of top-class Christmas racing is unbelievably good value 👏
Bad news for those racecourses directly affected, but sadly inevitable. Shame on the cynics who insisted Fred was crying wolf…
But it was always going to be dangerous putting so many eggs in one basket, especially with a betting sponsor. Classic short-termism (pun intended).
Last week's budget has had its first major impact on British racing with the news that Betfred are set to end their sponsorship of the five British Classics
🔗 racingpost.com/news/industry…
25 runners in the end over the seven races, all with no each way betting.
Winners priced at:
6/4, 2/1, 4/7, 4/1, 4/7, 8/13 & 7/2
Surely everyone can see this is uninspiring and unsustainable for all concerned… Especially when the racing was competitive enough elsewhere.
JB retweeted
Punters would welcome a minimum bet liability on British racing, but it's impossible to implement fairly until affordability checks and turnover-based media rights are addressed.
theguardian.com/sport/2026/n…
The World of David Walliams is finally closing in…
Alton Towers closes World of David Walliams bbc.in/4sXvGIF
JB retweeted
#C4News report on migrants coming to the UK to work in the care sector because British people aren't applying for the jobs
Manager of the care home says there's nothing stopping British people from applying, but they don't
And there are still 110,000 vacancies in the care sector
Again, a perfect illustration of how bookmakers were authors of their own downfall. Clustering should never have been permitted, that’s why the licensing laws needed to change. Deregulation simply allowed exploitation of poorer communities at the peak of the machine boom.
JB retweeted
And around £1bn of the £1.7bn spent on PPE from VIP suppliers was wasted on supplies later deemed unfit to use.
This is a huge scandal.
🔴 EXCLUSIVE: After *five-year* legal battle, Democracy for Sale has forced the government to reveal who referred firms to lucrative Covid PPE ‘VIP lane’ for 'politically connected'
30+ senior Tories are named, plus ex Duchess of York, and many more 🧵
democracyforsale.substack.co…
JB retweeted
🔴 EXCLUSIVE: After *five-year* legal battle, Democracy for Sale has forced the government to reveal who referred firms to lucrative Covid PPE ‘VIP lane’ for 'politically connected'
30+ senior Tories are named, plus ex Duchess of York, and many more 🧵
democracyforsale.substack.co…