Ireland - Meltdown approaching fast

stevetodd

ess0two wrote: »

There is only 4 of us,looking a dragging my mates caravan down as last resort.
Just struggle then if you need to entertain any ladies:rotfl:

Well we booked up early as we were bookies and I spent a fortune (well over 50k anyway) on a pitch there, I bought it at an auction and on the way back from the auction heard on the radio that Cheltenham was going to be cancelled due to foot and mouth (not great).

ess0two

You still got the pitch???or at least still in the game?

Go to York every May meeting meet up with a couple of irish bookies.

Its amazing who you see them supping with at night.

Probably do 8 meets a year,York,few days at Chester,Haydock,Doncaster.

Met Paul Merson 2 yrs ago at Chelt had a few beers and good laff.

stevetodd

ess0two wrote: »

You still got the pitch???or at least still in the game?

Go to York every May meeting meet up with a couple of irish bookies.

Its amazing who you see them supping with at night.

Probably do 8 meets a year,York,few days at Chester,Haydock,Doncaster.

Met Paul Merson 2 yrs ago at Chelt had a few beers and good laff.

No I am selling off the last few pitches in the next auction, I sold the Cheltenham about pitch 4 years ago. It's a harder game now than it ever was, it was never easy as some thought, but now it's very difficullt. When I was going racing, time was very tight and always a problem as I was also working full time (then later part time) as a chartered surveyor and managing my properties, there was never enough hours/days in the week, in the end it just wasn't worth it and of course I had to get a life that was balanced not just working non stop.

I didn't meet any celebs apart from Jimmy White who had been given an amount to bet with by the Daily Mail (to get a photo for the paper) Jimmy came back 5 mins later and cancelled the bet and took the stake back.

Count_Dante

ffacoffipawb wrote: »

75p per head per day sounds very little.

I thought that myself. Are you sure the true figure isn't £30million per day?

Edit: Ireland will need to borrow €20 billion this year, so about £50 million per day, or £14 per person per day. Now were talking decent money.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0217/1224241278003.html?via=mr

ess0two

stevetodd wrote: »

No I am selling off the last few pitches in the next auction, I sold the Cheltenham about pitch 4 years ago. It's a harder game now than it ever was, it was never easy as some thought, but now it's very difficullt. When I was going racing, time was very tight and always a problem as I was also working full time (then later part time) as a chartered surveyor and managing my properties, there was never enough hours/days in the week, in the end it just wasn't worth it and of course I had to get a life that was balanced not just working non stop.

I didn't meet any celebs apart from Jimmy White who had been given an amount to bet with by the Daily Mail (to get a photo for the paper) Jimmy came back 5 mins later and cancelled the bet and took the stake back.

What do you think killed or is killing it?

The exchanges,watered down racing,corruption,too many books.

Nice insight,would you have considered the books full time if you did'nt work?

cogito

ess0two wrote: »

What do you think killed or is killing it?

The exchanges,watered down racing,corruption,too many books.

Nice insight,would you have considered the books full time if you did'nt work?

Betfair without a doubt, IMO

stevetodd

ess0two wrote: »

What do you think killed or is killing it?

The exchanges,watered down racing,corruption,too many books.

Nice insight,would you have considered the books full time if you did'nt work?

It was a combination of things gradually introduced:

Boards on Rails: Rails bookies getting boards meant much more trade for them from the members enclosure, previously most members would walk through into Tatts to look (and bet) at the boards.

Betfair: Previous to betfair prices would shorten much quicker and you could lay a horse again at the shorter price and average out the odds that you had laid, but soon after betfair was introduced most books were hedging so wouldn't shorten a price so quickly. Betfair also took away some serious punters.

Corruption: I would be niave to think it didn't go on, but although not helping I don't think it has changed much over the decades

Plus the newly introduced auction procedure allowed lots of new faces to appear regularly, previously it was a 'dead man's shoes' waiting lists system which meant new faces were not common. The disadvantage here is that a fool would come into the ring every now and again and lose all his money (taking a big slice of the trade) then another would replace him. Although it's hard to criticise this system as it did give me the opportunity to buy pitches (I had been on the waiting list for over 20 years and had only a few pitches at the time the auction buying of pitches was introduced) plus I do believe in free markets.

I would not have done it full time because it was simply not worth it, very enjoyable but not as proftable as a professional salary. If only you could have the best of both worlds.

Edit: nearly forgot bank holiday meetings used to have as little as 6-12 bookies, as so many meetings wer on but not only have the meeting on bank hols been cut down but also there are more bookies holding fewer pitches, whereas prev you might have one team with a choice of 3-4 venues. Bank hols used to be money for old rope.

ess0two

cogito wrote: »

Betfair without a doubt, IMO

On course books are using betfair though.

My feeling is a mix of all 3 i posted,mainly crap racing my no1 though.

stevetodd

ess0two wrote: »

On course books are using betfair though.

My feeling is a mix of all 3 i posted,mainly crap racing my no1 though.

Yeah it is a combination of items, although boards on rails had a huge effect, betfair was the main culprit, on the rare occassion it went down we would take much more money as some of the other books were not only very wary of sticking a price up (using betfair as a price indicator) they knew they could be stuck with the bet and not able to hedge it). Also at some bank holiday meetings when betfair was getting much action (or not even covered).

Don't forget a lot of big punters stopped going racing and just stayed in and bet on betfair

Generali

stevetodd wrote: »

Yeah it is a combination of items, although boards on rails had a huge effect, betfair was the main culprit, on the rare occassion it went down we would take much more money as some of the other books were not only very wary of sticking a price up (using betfair as a price indicator) they knew they could be stuck with the bet and not able to hedge it). Also at some bank holiday meetings when betfair was getting much action (or not even covered).

Don't forget a lot of big punters stopped going racing and just stayed in and bet on betfair

Isn't Betfair more MSE than betting on course or in the High Street Bookies?