Puntz makes a good point here. Part of a systems structure are the non-racing elements such as power, availability of data, access to tools, etc. How many systems are based on being able to access data from one source? If Racing and Sports shutdown tomorrow many here are probably out of business. This is a system failure. I drive to my cousins wedding in the country and don't have time to put my bet's on therefore missing a winner that will turn my profit around for the month. This is a system failure. Similarly the power fails at home or the Betfair API has troubles and I miss that important winner. This is a system failure.

You can protect yourself to some degree by having multiple data sources; run your operations from multiple sites; and, maybe even have a partner to place your bets when you are unavailable (bots make good partners ). These things would all be in the business plan.

The most vulnerable element of your system is you, and more specifically what's going on between your ears. I suspect this is where most fail - operator error.

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Pixie

"It's worth remembering that profit isn't profit until it's spent off the racecourse." -- Crash