Brodie

Dark Beau, you are entitled to your opinion but I totally agree with Konica! This Coalition government has done nothing positive to help racing in the 2 years that it has been in power! No need to use expletives in reply either.

Centaur, do you know what Mr John Allen did for his $650k plus salary? Yes he may have gone to meetings around the country but what does he actually do to warrant that amount of money? Punters that are allowed to offload with the NZ TAB pay his and other execs salaries from their losses. What is it that the TAB executives actually do each and every day?

Thanks for your reply Galah. I have not bothered at all with the KPC online comp at all this year but I see it was $200 over 10 races and a minimum of only $20 per race. The fact that it was over harness, dogs and gallops possibly took the gloss off it for normal harness punters. I agree that it would’ve been possible to start on the 1st or second race at Methven, although when Addington had the punters comp often the first race was often pretty early and difficult for some punters who work to at least 5 pm, so you won’t suit everyone. When Addington held the KPC oncourse there were often bets of $1k plus put on which totally changed the odds dramatically and not worth the risk. Does anyone know how successful the online KPC has been this year as I have not heard anything about it! One issue I have with it this year is the small amount of $200 for the heats and then the qualifiers I believe have to stump up with $5k and spend $500 on each and every race in the final which some may well find difficult!

Galah, firstly I think Addington normally had something like $500 or $600 starting stake for their KPC. Methven probably started on the 4th race to give more people time to get oncourse, I haven’t competed in a punting comp for awhile now for a couple of reasons, however when betting on the tote alone it distorted the tote dividends so much it was not funny, not that it worried the club as they got their %. If a contestant wanted to have a decent go say $1000 or two into the pool would shorten the dividend up,so much that ultimately it wasn’t worth backing it. What is the point of offloading and risking a large amount to get basically your money back??? I think that punting comps are a good idea to increase turnover and that is always good for the Club and racing. The Fixed odds that the KPC had for a short while I understand has now been canned.

NZ punters need oncourse Bookies, so that there is competition for the NZ TAB, who at the moment has a monopoly for gambling on racing and sports! The customer has suffered substantially over the past few years due to the lack of competition to the NZ TAB. Could someone please advise us who determined that Mr John Allen was worth over $650k per annum salary and what did he do for that that large amount?

I would hope that harness racing was in a strong position in 10 years time, but I would be very surprised if it was, if the business decisions being made continued along the same lines. Harness racing needs several things to make it successful and if one of the cogs disappears then racing is stuffed. It needs owners and I doubt there are too many new owners coming into the sport as the returns just aren’t there. It needs trainers and there are a few very good young ones coming thru at the moment, But I would say that it would be very difficult to make a great living out of it nowadays with costs and stakemoney having not increased from probably 20 years ago. Domination of the major stakes races by one stable is also a major negative for owners and trainers wanting to invest into an industry with very poor returns for most! It needs the right people in the business making the right decisions whether it be the racing clubs or TAB, and most of us know that there have been many blatantly stupid decisions made in recent years. Finally, we need the racing product to be interesting enough for both existing and new punters to be able to bet on the product and with the NZ TAB not interested in allowing everyone to offload, racing is going to be facing major headwinds!!!!

If I aren’t going to TABs Flag, they ain’t going to get “the kid” What are they after me for now, not offloading? If I was working for the NZ TAB I would be encouraging punters to have a go. The odds are always in their corner, but the fact is that the big boys are making blatantly dumb decisions to stop punters from offloading. I am aware of several other punters who have lost interest in both going to the track and betting. Racing has never been in such a precarious position before and the so-called betting platform that they paid mega millions has not been the success that the hierarchy at the TAB said it would be.

I have warned you previously about looking over my fence! Would not think true money launderers would be bothered with $20 notes! I see someone in Auckland has been fined $4 million today for money laundering sending money overseas, something like over 5 thousand transactions. News for the NZ TAB, it is not NZ punters that are winning 1k or wanting to put on 1k that are money launderers! Sooner they come out and tell us why they brought in the pathetic 1k limit the better, however they won’t because they aren’t exactly honest nowadays.

Better than the other way around Hunter? Haven’t had a bet for ages although I did really like Momentous, as it was thrown in off the front and on the grass. Been watching races on Trackside but while the NZ TAB have weak Tossers making the decisions they are to kill off racing, I just can not be bothered. Racing is going to die a long slow death While people that have no business sense are making the decisions. Gallops are knackered as well going by some of the stakes that they are racing for especially in the South Island. Does anyone know how much it is to have a galloper trained nowadays???

Chief, you and Globe are correct, and anyone with half a brain will know that the reason for the $1000 limit has nothing at all to do with the Anti Money Laundering Act!!!! It is that the TAB wants total control over punters which they now have. They accept bets from losing punters and if you are a more astute punter they just won’t Let them win, and they will do anything to stop them. Then they wonder why turnover is dropping off! Have you also noted how short the tote dividends are now and most of the time it just isn’t worth betting on the tote. The NZ TAB wouldn’t care if harness racing disappeared as they rely on sports betting nowadays to pay the salaries of the overpaid execs!!!

Tough competition at Methven and a lot of luck also required because it only takes one big collect say a trifecta to win it and then punters are chasing. The fact that you have to bet on the tote and every race from the start doesn’t make you the best punter although some will disagree. Lol

He used to be a bit of a problem earlier on but has improved immensely. He is an enthusiastic young man that I believe has a big future in harness racing while it is still going.

Yes I agree Mark Harrell is a very good Junior, not sure where he is at the moment as I haven’t seen him driving recently! You are right the Hope horses aren’t going as well as normal however they will be back. As for looking sexy in the cart, I don’t really look at them that way. The top drivers do sit in the cart better than the ones that aren’t that great. Ben is very fortunate that he has parents that train a large team and he gets Plenty of drives from them, but if they weren’t happy with Ben driving then I am sure Greg would hook him!

Booby, why do you think he is one of the poorer Juniors in the country? I would say he would be one of the best, even though he gets plenty of drives, his UDR is very good for a junior. He has improved a ton from when he first started, through experience. Into his 3rd season he is winning at approx. every eith drive which isn’t too bad at all. He is a likeable young fellah and very good when interviewed on Trackside

JJ, thanks for that. Just shows the intelligence of many of people who are in Government offices and are being paid big salaries. Hopefully common sense will prevail as it is going to be hopeless at the big race days if they implement it! Can you also enquire from RITA if they have any intention of making the NZ TAB accept fixed odds bets for a reasonable amount from all punters? Does RITA accept that punters should be treated unequally? If the TAB were not accepting bets from dark skinned people that would be illegal! If the TAB were not accepting bets from punters that were a certain religion that would be illegal! If the TAB were not accepting bets from people that were over 80 that would be illegal! So ask them what gives them the right to not accept bets from people who they do not want to? How is this legal without breaching human rights?

Cp, has Jean Sebastien been retired?

Ranga, then why is the policy $1k then, when the AML act says $10k???? Punters are being turned off Ranga, as the tote div payouts aren’t getting smaller and smaller.

Ranga, how is it unhinged? It is totally the reality of things. Turnover is down, punters are being turned away and off!!

Totally agree that the TAB wouldn’t have had a problem taking the 12k from the punter on Wainui Creek. That was my point, that the TAB treats punters unequally. They say that they are concerned about some punters who lose, which is bollacks! They also have concerns that punters that want to bet 1k are possible money launderers and yet they take 12k off people. While The NZ TAB continue to adopt the policy of not accepting bets off punters, they will continue to bleed.

Ranga, no restricted punters would be getting 12k accepted by the Bookies. I’ve got no idea how many punters there are in NZ that are allowed to put $12k on, but I do know that the ones that are able to get this sort of amount on are losing punters, or they would be heavily restricted. Punters who are able to get these big wagers on with the NZ Bookies and are backing these $1.60 favourites to win are not the best punters around. Yes some people may be able to afford to lose 12k and not be too worried about it, but I would suggest that they would be certainly punters that the NZ TAB would be encouraging. There are far easier ways of making money guaranteed without offloading 12k on a harness horse that was never a certainty to win and certainly no value at $1.60!

Before tonight it had only won once from 12 starts from the mobile. Had not won at Alexandra Park in 4 starts Was first up but had won a couple of trials To put 12k on a horse with those factors to win paying $1.60 is not intelligent punting and no wonder this punter hasn’t been restricted! Come on NZ TAB, if you can allow punters on for 12k how about letting all other punters on for at least $1k? We are not money launderers!

Totally agree Happy, they would be needing plenty of luck gambling like that. The point is the ironic nature of allowing people to gambling like that whereas others who want to offload, are told to eff off!!

Money laundering is alive and well with the NZ TAB but it is only allowed with certain punters! Someone has put 12k on Wainui Creek tonight first up and drawn 6. Think I heard they got on at the luxurious odds of $1.60, that’s right $1.60, Seriously, the TAB advertises that they are concerned for the NZ punter who,loses money they can not afford to lose! They also now have a policy that they put in pLace to ensure that punters who bet over $1k or collects over $1k are identified so that money is not being laundered thru them! Well if that is not one of those two scenarios, I don’t know what is! Who in their semi right mind would offload $12k on a non cert to win 17,400??? And yet other punters are allowed to put next to nothing on! Glad I have given punting with the NZ TAB away.

Ranga, FFS you ain’t getting a PM, but the money is available. You challenged me to offer to buy, I met your challenge and now you are kicking for touch again!