tab's being the easy tax grab that they are for state govts, the day they once again have a monopoly on the punters dollar is that day takeouts will increase across the board.

anyone seriously think the opposition to bf was because of concerns for an increase in dodgy behavior at the track?? please, its all about how much they can fleece out of our pockets & why debates such as those currently re the pokies may be worthwhile & have gotten certain people elected, but will no doubt be shelved asap (although i certainly hope this doesnt happen & they limit the horrible things).

never have & doubt I ever will defend a corporate bookie & as i alluded to in rely to partys post, i believe alot of their products are 'smoke & mirrors', but some competition is better than none.

are products such as bf perfect? absolutely not, but i shudder at the thought of going back to tab only betting.

lastly getting matched for $250 or more on a $20 shot at Echuca on a Sunday might prove a challenge but on most popular meets it is not.

Hi Stugots,

I havent been around punting all that long, only about 12 years or so. How many times hase the takeout risen in that time ? This is a honest question as I dont know? What was it in the 90s ? What was it in the 80's ? Anyone know ?

Look at the good ol USA, they rip the guts out of the punter so badly that they dont have a racing industry anymore. They killed their cash cow. Its all privatised and overtaxed.

The UK, from what I can see is just a shambles. Is it not ? Its all privatised as far as the betting agencies are concearned. Again I dont know so I will be happily corrected. I know that they are buying our corps and turning them into .... god knows what !

HK has a monopoly, infact their Gov has a monopoly and even they can see that the best way to keep things ticking along is to give people a hope of winning . That means some people actually will, most wount but all have a chance.

I would think that the same logic would apply here ? Surely ? I again ask the same question when the TAB had a monopoly untill a few years ago was their take out rampant ? What is stoping the govs puting the rates up now ? Certainly isnt betfair ! most of those betting there look at the bookies and tote for what a price should be, and then its simply supply and demand that sets the price. The corps only pay what the Totes show. Where is the competition that is stoping them from doing it now ? Infact they probably have a cause to do it now more then ever. Their takeout is droping as the punters dollar is spread thinner and thinner !

Im happy to have this discussion, as Im sure that others will have their own opinions.

Michal

Great post there Michal, to answer one point, regarding Boogie Business, yes that is the question hence my title of smoke and mirrors, mind you I doubt that my $50 would have altered it that much.

Peter Pan, I also am mainly a place bettor invariably $100 bets, I manage to eke a small profit, but a few years ago I tried to up the ante with fairly aggressive staking, plan I can't quite remember what the bet size got up to but they didn't close my account, they didn't have to; cos my small profit disappeared. I regrouped and reverted back to $100 bets and "presto" back in the black (after a while) my conclusion was that even my relatively small bets found their way into the pools somehow; enough to affect the divvies?

As far as spreading it around is concerned, when best tote is not available, why not just use Sportsbet Country best ( i.e. best of NSW&Supertab) half your stake and Unitab half your stake to arrive at the best possible average?

Hi Michal, cant help you with figures re tab takeouts other than to say I understand they have fallen marginally on most products over the last 10-15 years in line with the entry of corporates to the market & also probably due to the ever increasing revenue stream into state govt coffers from the pokies bonanza.

I do recall that up until entry of the corporates the NSW Tab, with the greater share of turnover, did have the highest takeout rates on most betting products, & among the circles I moved in was generally loathed.

What I think will be interesting to watch is the fallout from any pokies regulation. State Govt’s being the bottomless pits they are when it comes to spending money, will not just forgo any revenue loss from these little monsters, so baring some sort of compensation at the Federal level, they will turn to the mugs that live under their jurisdiction – I doubt the TAB’s will be immune from the tap on the shoulder from finance/treasury.

Anyway, interesting times, just happy to have options where to place my bets. Now if I could only have the same when it comes to my weekly shopping – oh wait I do! Coles OR Woolies!

Don't you have Aldi where you live?

Cheers

no, whats an aldi?

You want the long or the short answer?

waiting ............

Ok, the short one then.

It's a German supermarket chain specializing in selling top quality for less.
Only drawback is they don't carry every item a Coles might.

They been around the eastern states for a few years now.

nah, not up my way, got a few iga's but thats about it, appalling situation really but thats for another forum