Explosion of sports betting in US represents a rising threat, with PGA Tour needing to fiercely protect integrity of competitionJay Monahan speaks so sparingly that the PGA Tour commissioner had plenty of time to plot and plan precisely what his message would be during traditional end-of-season media duties in Atlanta last Tuesday. When pressed on even light detail of how a framework agreement between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Group may take on more formal status, Monahan was completely noncommittal. The 53-year-old may soon realise, if he has not already, that Saudis bearing billions do so with more than a passing interest in how their buck is being deployed. He who pays the...
The level of protection for your money – or lack of it – is often hidden in the Ts & Cs when signing up for new accountsSome punters will have been crossing off the days to this year’s Cheltenham Festival in March since the Saturday morning after the last one but, for many, Trials Day at the track this weekend will be the moment when the final countdown begins. It will not be just the backers for whom the excitement and anticipation is starting to build either. For online betting operators, Festival week is the biggest of the racing year when it comes to attracting new customers. Continue reading...
Racing needs to argue for as much regulatory space as possible between betting and gaming, and ideally with one voiceThere is a long and inglorious history in racing of individual bodies or businesses opting for short-term gain ahead of the broader interests of the sport. But even so the Jockey Club’s decision to sign a five-year deal with the gaming giant Playtech, which was announced last week, feels like a new low.The result, according to Playtech’s casino director, James Frendo, will be “a full range of exceptional and exciting cross-product content”. Or the Jockey Club flogging Playtech some racing-themed wrapping paper for software that mechanically grinds a fixed percentage of turnover from its users, depending on your point of view....
Starting prices generated off-course for well-backed horses offer poorer value than SPs returned from on-course betting, according to HBF researchIndustry starting prices generated from the off-course market while racing continues behind closed doors offer poorer value about fancied horses than SPs returned from the on-course betting ring, according to the latest study by the Horseracing Bettors Forum which compared SPs in 1,000 races in Britain last month against the same period in the previous three years.The starting price has been a cornerstone of betting on horse racing for more than two centuries, and until March this year, the SPs had always been derived from a sample of prices offered by on-course bookies at the instant the runners set off. Related:...
The internet campaigner Paul Fairhead, who has been helping punters for seven years, says the frustrations are now too much“My heart’s really not in it any more,” says Paul Fairhead, the internet campaigner for punters who has decided to bring that side of his working life to a halt. By his own estimate, he has helped punters recover more than £500,000 from bookmakers over the past seven years and The Guardian has sometimes reported on the outcomes of his cases but the work has got harder and he has begun to feel ground down.“It’s far more frustrating than it ever was and a real different ball game,” adds Fairhead, who says the final straw was the failure of his appeal...