Chief Stipe

Where are they getting the money from? You can't pay staff without having real dollars in the bank. Unless you pay them in TAB Bonus Bet Vouchers they have to have credit lines somewhere. Has Winnie tapped Shane and said flick some of your PGF to them?

Some perspective on Covid-19. In the 2019-20 flu season in the USA there has been: Between 36 and 51 MILLION cases of Flu. 360,000 hospitalizations. 22,000 deaths.

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 8, Valachi Downs South Island Thoroughbred Breeders Group 3, an information was filed by Chief Stipendiary Steward, Mr J Oatham, against Jockey (Class A), Ms K Williams, alleging that, as the rider of TICKET TO RIDE in the race, she struck her mount excessively prior to ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

You know what they will do. They'll ramp up pressure to sell assets they don't own.

Why can't bonus bets promo's in racing be profitable? For a start let's look at the "free" bonus bets that target existing customers. They target existing captured customers who have an account. That is they are not marketed to potentially new customers; They vary in amount - some people get different amounts presumably based on the total amount they normally wager; The TAB is printing money i.e. they are generating a virtual voucher. I seriously doubt they would be allowed to use their bank credit line to inject real cash into their pools; So let's look at a specific example. Bob - bets regularly, mostly every day. Doesn't need much encouragement to do so ( Bob is a real person but his name has been changed for privacy reasons). He gets a $20 bonus free bet from the TAB which has to be used anytime between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. Suits him as he always turns up at the pub TAB with his mates for a Saturday afternoon of racing; Bob lines up a horse early in the day for a Win bet on fixed odds paying $5.50. First outcome he loses: $0 return. No harm done it was their money anyway. However that $20 went into the win pool and less about $3.00 (takeout rate 15%) and $17.00 paid out to those who backed the winner. Turnover went up $20 but did revenue go up $3? NO it didn't. You see that virtual $20 was worth zero as it wasn't real money. But the other punters in the pool who backed the winner have picked up an extra $17 spread amongst them. By my calculation on Bob's losing bet of $20 the TAB is down $17 in revenue. How could it be otherwise? It could be otherwise if the TAB don't actually put the value of Bob's virtual money bet into the pool when he bets. If that occurred Turnover wouldn't change and revenue would be the same. End result - if it is 1. then a loss of $17; if it is 2. Then no change in turnover or profit. On the TAB accounts this is probably recorded as a marketing cost. But knowing most Marketing Managers they've probably managed to push the total cost into Operational Cost. Bob Wins - Fixed Odds bet $20 on the nozzer. Pays $5.50: $110 return less $20 of the virtual money (which isn't virtual anymore). Yahoo. Bob is set up for the day $90 (real money). He could withdraw it - sometimes he does withdraw a bit. Why not let the TAB pay for his booze! What did the TAB make out of this transaction? Nothing from Bob. He spent the TAB virtual money. Turnover was up $20 however the all important revenue had zero change (I think - as it gets complicated). Bob took his winnings off the other punters in the pool; End result - for the TAB it is like kissing your sister - nothing in it. So if I have this right if Bob loses on his bet then the TAB loses significantly assuming they actually put the money in the pool (virtual or real). If Bob wins on his bet then the TAB make zero profit. The only way the TAB could increase profit in Bob's scenario is if he spends ALL of his winnings from his first bet PLUS his budget for the day. But Bob is a canny punter and sets himself a clear budget regardless and only increases his betting by 10% for the day. The pub does alright out of Bob because he buys an extra jug using the TAB's money. That's how I see it. I might have it completely wrong and am happy to have egg on my face if someone can educate me on the truth. Personally (this is probably where my bonus bets stop being put on my account) I don't bet much at all - can't afford it. However on two occasions I have won on a bonus bet and spent it all on bets and beer. Basically had a good afternoon with the old boys watching the racing. Went home with what I went with.

Maybe they still have $23m in TAB account holders accounts! ? Nah just joking as that money is in a non interest bearing trust account. Which half of the year brings in the most revenue? If it is the first half then they still should have some cash. Especially since late last year was the World Rugby Cup.

When will we see a similar NZ Racing Managment response? Racing Victoria cuts prizemoney & staff Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger announced a range of cuts to expenditure on Monday. Photo: Herald Sun. Racing Victoria has cut prizemoney and stood down a significant number of staff as part of the organisation’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. RV has embarked on a raft of cost-cutting measures as it attempts to deal with the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, which has thrown businesses into turmoil throughout the world. RV released a statement advising the measures are aimed at countering an expected loss of earnings in the short to medium term as well as any shutdown period the sport needs to endure. The changes will take effect from next Monday. The prizemoney cuts include: Metropolitan – a 20% reduction in prizemoney contribution per race; and Country – a 10% reduction in prizemoney contribution per race provided that no TAB race is conducted for less than $20,000. Racing Victoria has also cleared the way for clubs to decide their own prizemoney contributions to big races, which will mainly occur during the spring and autumn carnivals. Melbourne Racing Club chief executive Josh Blanksby flagged a possible prizemoney reduction for the Caulfield Cup in a radio interview on Monday morning. Racing Victoria will also cut bonuses Super VOBIS, VOBIS Gold and VOBIS Sires bonuses by 15 percent in the city and 7.5 percent in the country. Staff cuts will be effective from Wednesday. They entail the following: until further notice, more than 40% of RV’s permanent staff will be temporarily stood down or be required to work reduced hours; the Board and Executive Team who have been leading RV’s response to the pandemic have all agreed to a voluntary reduction in their remuneration of 50% and 20% respectively; those staff stood down and/or working reduced hours are encouraged to take accrued entitlements via annual leave, long service leave and/or time owing in lieu; and to assist those with minimal entitlements, RV has introduced COVID-19 Assistance Leave which will offer up to 20 days of annual leave in advance. “These are not decisions that we have taken lightly, however the impacts of the past fortnight and the nation’s rapidly evolving economic crisis means that we must act now to help soften the blow for Victorian racing,” Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger said in a statement. “It has become clear that this pandemic and the associated economic crisis will have a long-term impact on our industry if we don’t seek to mitigate the impact now. “In doing so, we note that a number of our Racing Clubs have already made the tough decisions to temporarily stand down much of their workforce and to reduce their operations which is unfortunately necessary in these uncertain times. “Whilst the industry has wisely built an Industry Sustainability Fund over the past five years, it is prudent at this time that sufficient funds remain available to assist the industry should we face a shutdown at any time and then need to rebuild our sport thereafter.” Kruger said Racing Victoria would continue to monitor the sport’s financial status and could “make further adjustments” to expenditure, especially if there is a shutdown of racing.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out with OZ racing with their totally different response.

But how can you bet seriously on an Exhibition Match?

No Sports (I can't believe there is anyone betting on Table Tennis or Video Gamers) or Pokie revenue. Only revenue is from overseas racing!

That's a shame. It was my favourite radio station. Quite probably. But again that's a shame. I've lived in Auckland for the last 7 years and visited both Ellerslie and Alexandra Park. I found the experience more enjoyable at the trots. I went to one of their theme nights at Christmas and the food was fantastic and booze prices reasonable. Their follow up marketing has been good too. With regard to the apartment development I think they have been more proactive than Ellerslie. Bad luck and little reserves doesn't help. We also need to bear in mind they haven't been helped by RITA either.

What about the poor woman on the Coast. Has a lung problem went into hospital and diagnosed with the flu. I don't think any journalist has asked was she in isolation while in hospital before her condition became acute. Nurses and other staff don't take precautions and 23 are now in isolation. Now we read that since the diagnosis which was probably a week ago that no close relatives who have been in contact have been tested. Test test test is the mantra that countries on top of it have followed. Why are we spending all this money on preparing for thousands of people to be repatriated. Send them some money to keep going overseas and spend the rest on testing.

I remember when: As a lad at the Hokitika races there would be queues to get in. The car park full as were the surrounding streets. Half the population of the town there. Old friends from South Westland - Franz Joseph, Fox, Haast. Hearing the tote bell ringing. The smell of horses and their poop which were within reach. The horses that is. Trainers allowing you to pat them if you were polite in your asking. Percy Hurrens pies. The bar under the grandstand. All concrete and shelves to lean on round the outside. Only beer (west coast brewed), whiskey, gin, rum, lemonade and coke. Nothing fancy. Jockey names that became ingrained on the brain - Skelton, Mein, McAra, a young Walsh - young ratbags Morton and Molloy. The balloon over the semaphore boards. The cardboard tote tickets in different colours. The moving white and yellow tapes on the tote depicting the horse price. I think yellow was win white a place. The start of one race was practically in the car park and stables. An entrance single lane running beside it. Oh and if you were lucky to have connections - "We're trying today - get on".

Freda we have been racing for kumeras for years. However the sooner we get back on the horse the sooner we can get some cash flow. If not what the hell happens to the very large number of horses that were in training, were being pre-trainers or broken in?

No one had said it isn't serious. The point being made is alarmist unfactual journalism doesn't help. If exponential growth does occur then in a ward of Coronavirus patients distance no longer matters as they all have it. Currently we have a total of 9 in hospital. If we are indeed serious about lockdown then NO ONE shoukd be allowed in or out of the country. Why are we preparing for 10,000 overseas people to return?

I don't know and haven't said I did know. However what I do know is the bonus bets promotions can't be profitable.

Yes and the number of people hospitalised has dropped from 12 to 9.

One point I'd like to make about the half yearly report is that normally it is released next week. Therefore it must have been ready to deliver BEFORE the lockdown. With regard to the growing belief that racing in NZ will be out of action for 6 months I don't believe it needs to be. For example did we really need to close down all training? Australia hasn't. There is racing tonight from Hong Kong and Japan. With the right protocols in place regarding people movements racing could be up and running in less the 6 months. However it will require some thought and planning. Sadly we haven't seen that in decades. Remember as yet horses and dogs don't get Covid-19.

What's the bet the Half-Yearly Report for the period 1 August 2019 - 31 January 2020 release is delayed? It is normally released next week. It shouldn't be delayed as the process for its compilation would have been complete before lockdown.

I just saw a headline Health System "Stretched". Uh? What are the facts? There have been 514 reported cases of Covid-19. I emphasise have been because 56 people have recovered. So there are 458 people that we know of with the virus. The total the nation should be reporting is the current ACTIVE cases that is what is putting "stress" on the health system. Let's break the 458 down further. 1 patient is in ICU not 458 but ONE. That's one less than 2! Looking at that number in a different way it is 0.2% of those infected. 1 patient has died supposedly due to the virus. I say supposedly because it has been reported the woman in her 70's had other underlying health issues. Yes it is sad for her family but is it "devastating news" for the Nation as the Prime Minister says? Is it any more or less devastating than the death of a rubbish collector (an essential service) who working alone was crushed between his truck and a building wall? 12 people have been hospitalised. Yes 12 - a dozen. How does this stretch the health system? All elective surgery and most surgery that can wait has been postponed. So surely 12 extra people isn't going to "stretch" the health system. For sure there is a possibility that if the lockdown doesn't achieve its goal then the health system will be stretched. But don't report it is when it isn't! Why wail and gnash our teeth or dentures before time?

I wouldn't touch her in the Melbourne Cup. She just doesn't settle that well and expends so much energy just being a character. BUT the Caulfield Cup yes. She won the Ethereal easily at Caulfield. She's won $2.7m AUD now. Not bad for a Zed!

How do you know? Do you have inside "sources"? Since the new regime (old regime with different names) took over we have got less information on profitability and turnover so it is hard for the rest of us to know. Oh and maybe Brooks got "fired" because he challenged some of the decisions.

Freedman: "This gives racing a chance to reset its prizemoney thinking" Richard Freedman. Photo: Daily Telegraph Trainer and media personality Richard Freedman believes the huge prizemoney slashes to elite Sydney races caused by the coronavirus pandemic gives racing an opportunity to "reset its thinking." In incredibly tough, challenging and worrying times, there will be few complaints that the top ten rich races at The Championships over the next two Saturdays have had their prizemoney slashed by 50 percent. But Freedman thinks there could be some learnings for racing going forward - he believes that when racing comes through the other side of the current covid-19 disaster that racing prizemoney needs to be less top-heavy. He feels less prizemoney should be spread across the top-tier races, with lower level races and maidens receiving more of the cream than they currently do. "We are being forced to re-think everything because of an external force that we never saw coming, but we should take the opportunity to reset the way we do things for the good," Freedman told Racenet. "If we are going to take money off the top races, for a very good reason, and we are able to do that and everybody says that's OK, then don't just go back to the previous system after this is finished. "I think racing going forward should take money off the top (races) and spread it along the bottom. "If you pump up the top of the market, it funnels huge numbers of dollars into the smallest amount of pockets. "A very small number of people are going to access that - it's like a lottery. "But if you put more money into smaller races then everybody gets a little lick. "If a maiden anywhere was worth $50,000, you get a good chunk of money back the first time you win a race. "Surely we have got to return the money to the people who actually pay for the animals, who keep the whole sport going. "And we have got to get it back in their pockets as quickly as we possibly can, to as many as we possibly can. "Let's not give it back to them as slowly as we can and to as few of them as we can." Like every other industry, racing is likely to look completely different when it comes out the other side of the coronavirus pandemic. Racing has done an incredible job to be the only major sport to push ahead but there have now been massive prizemoney cuts to The Championships over the next two Saturdays and you can read about that HERE. Freedman says the prizemoney is being cut with the best intentions but it should also give racing pause for thought about its prizemoney structure in the years to come. "Yes, we have to cut the dollars at the moment for a very good reason, the revenues aren't there and we are in desperate times," Freedman said. "But I think there is a positive that could come out of it, and that is there was never an opportunity to cut those (rich) races before. "There was no political way to do it - there was no administrator who was going to waltz into a state regulator and say I'm cutting all the races back. "That was never ever a possibility. "Now it is a possibility for a very good reason. "And it gives us the opportunity to reset our thinking."

He isn't actually banned. Just his posts are moderated. He doesn't like that so hasn't posted at all. Moderated means he can post then a moderator reviews and releases the post. Time delay? Minimal to zero.