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/…
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
JB retweeted
£64 for a ticket to all 4 days of top-class Christmas racing is unbelievably good value 👏
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…
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
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…
JB retweeted
Today's Charlie Hall Chase offers a £56,950 prize to the winner.
In 2009, it was £57,010.
Allowing for inflation, today's prize money would need to be £94,000
In real terms, the winner's prize money has declined by 40%
Tradition isn't keeping the prize unchanged for 20 years
JB retweeted
Just donated what I would have won for my chosen charity @actnforchildren ❤️ ❤️ amazing cause 😘🙏🏽
Just found out that @MayaJama was supporting @actnforchildren
Thank you Maya, AFC (or NCH as it was) made all the difference in my life and I’m forever grateful 🙏 😍
JB retweeted
I've always maintained that the opening of betting shops to accomodate FoBTs was a reckless business gamble.
FoBTs were dangerous and were always going to be restricted.
Yet racing knowingly climbed into the same bed.
The industry was opening betting shops just for FOBTs. It was a business gamble & you lost. Eggs and baskets. nitter.cf/BritBookmakers/status/…
JB retweeted
cuttingcomment.com/dear-bha-…
I haven't promoted this Lee at all, but I think there are things in here that need saying for all of us that are genuinely interested in racing. You might find it an interesting read.
JB retweeted
This seems like a great time to reshare my favourite Sir Patrick Stewart performance, ‘What has the ECHR ever done for us?’ It’s just perfect in every possible way … including the ending 😂😂😂 RIP.
🎥 The Guardian
JB retweeted
Patrick Stewart remembering the moment Hugh Jackman took his hand during a screening of Logan, as they both sat watching in tears.
A beautiful story about friendship, saying goodbye, and what these characters meant to the guys who played them.
Rest in peace, Sir Patrick Stewart.
JB retweeted
Worth remembering that in the next few weeks @PFNicholls will become the most successful jumps trainer of all time as he passes Martin Pipe’s record of 3930 winners in Britain. He is also closing on the landmark total of 4,000 wins over jumps including French and Eire.
JB retweeted
The reality about gambling.
Not an explosion.
Not a public health emergency.
Not a crisis.
Excluding the Lottery, it's the smallest share of UK household spending since records began in 1985.
Yet policy gets ever more restrictive and taxes ever higher, justified by a "crisis" the data doesn't show.
The real growth is in the black market, which overregulation and overtaxation are feeding.
