Brodie

Certainly can say that I have no idea how the TAB used to operate with staff numbers etc. and do not know the day to day operations under Entain! However I do know that previously they had issues that needed addressing and this was selling out half the ownership for 25 years to An overseas gambling business Entain. Many thought this was going to be the saviour for the TAB with 900million being paid for the half share for the 25 years. This deal is very very short sighted in my opinion as once the $900m is wasted, what are we going to have for loss of half the profit? What I do know and it is probably the same with all gambling agencies worldwide is a business that has no scruples and acts and treats their customers with little ethics. Time is going to tell but unfortunately I believe that the NZ racing industry is in deep trouble, the TAB/Entain will be fine as they will survive off Sports Betting and online gambling in the years to come!

They are for WIN fixed odds only! There are other bets apart from WIN bets, its called Top 3!

Interesting! Does anyone know where the Bookies that set the odds are based or is it set by computers from Oz and algorithms do the rest?

So selling out to Entain has cost a lot of New Zealanders their jobs! They were meant to be guaranteed employment with the TAB for I believe 2 years minimum, but we know they started getting rid of staff pretty early on! Anyway they will not need many staff in NZ once the guaranteed funding to racing stops, all be done out of Oz!

Entain would be happy if they just had the sports and online gambling that is what they wanted all along. Low cost and big reward, and that is what they will be aiming for in a couple of years! TAB and McAnulty were wrong in going with Entain for the betterment of racing! Anyone know how many are still employed at Petone or is everything being done from Oz? Are there many Bookies remaining or is it being done by computers??

Chief, personally think the way they are operating their business is poor! They must be haemorrhaging big time losing potential income by their restrictions and odds slashing. At the end of the day the odds are always in their favour so why dont they operate that way?

Newmarket, it is absolutely stupidity coming from the Clubs programming these short distance races! If they believe it is going to encourage punters to wager they are delusional! If they think that these short races is going to entice people to go on course for a day of short 2 minute races, then once again totally delusional! All horses can run a mile and it is just not appealing to the majority of harness followers, but then again harness officialdom are doing very little to keep the industry going! Whoever is deciding to program these miles are clearly not working in the best interests of trying to appeal to the public! There are a couple of horses that I wouldve wagered on, but not over 1700m!

How many punters are getting a lot less $ on at agencies and PUB TAB’s on FIXED ODDS than they were? Personally know how damn frustrating it is when the Bookies only allow not large amounts on, then slash the odds several times, making it look like all this money has come for a horse. It actually beggars belief that they are the only legal betting agency in NZ for horse racing, and yet they are not willing to take the punters on for any reasonable amount!!! Question needs to be asked why they are not prepared to have the Punters Promise limits for all bets and just not WIN BETS fixed odds? TAB/ ENTAIN are not trying to increase turnover on harness racing, and yet the CEO Brad Steele of HRNZ says nothing??? is this one of the reasons Dean Shannon was moved on from ENTAIN as he did not agree with what they were doing to harness racing in NZ? Personally don’t think they have got many that actually have business sense and the ones that have, have been moved on as they didnt like how Entain was operating! Is anyone allowed by the TAB Bookies to wager reasonable amounts????

Personally think the camera person too often have their camera on the first few rather than showing mire of the ones running on! People want to see more than just the first few if you are a punter! no need to show a horse if he is tailed off but showing more than the first few is preferential.

No I didnt, it was up to the Greyhound fraternity to have out their best case forward! It is a bit ironic that Edward Rennell went from CEO of harness to the Greyhounds CEO. Rennell wanted the whip banned on harness horses which wont happen and the greyhound racing is banned and greyhound breed going to become extinct while he is the CEO!

As been pointed out many times, HRNZ are barely heard from, despite many knowing how it is going to end! You can not tell me that that there is no one from HRNZ that doesnt read BOAY! It is actually pretty disappointing that we never get any response from them defending their decision making and why they are making these decisions!! Reality is that they must know they are not acting in the best interests of harness racing but looking after their own interests while they are still getting salaries?

For those punters that want accurate info to assist with their punting, we often do not get it! You look at the weather report online for the Nelson area and it is saying it is fine for many days. And yet if you go to HRNZ web site, it is going to be raining?? This happens quite often with them, so do they know something that the weather forecasters don’t? I appreciate that weather can change but better putting nothing than putting that it is going to rain when it isnt? Or are they putting this up to mislead punters??

Programming by many of the Clubs in NZ is very poor! Nelson deserves what it gets with having these mile races on the second day of their meetings nowadays! Lunacy that they think that mile standing starts on that track is going tonentice punters to wager! Miss away slightly and you might as well pull the horse up? Unfortunately we have got people with very limited business sense continuing to make decisions that are not in the best interests of harness racing! For those that are punting in those miles, all the best as there will be some upsets over that distance you would think?

Not for much longer though, which is unfortunate! Greyhound breed is going to become extinct through stupid legislation!

I appreciate that it is not politically correct, but seriously? How have they all got to be so large? Terrible image for racing!

Heavy Restrictions galore and some options not available to them, how is that fair when others get what they want on and all Options are available to them? Why would Brodie be wagering on the gallops?? Certain to be another losing punter! The reality of is that the TAB make it as hard as they can for the serious punter who know what they are doing! Sometimes wonder whether it is worth the effort due to being treated unfairly, but then the TAB wins!

He made an appearance at Omakau races with Unhinged interviewing him! We get next to nothing out of him or HRNZ and only trading off Entain’s cash splash! Unfortunately the industry is in serious financial trouble and yet they seem to have their heads buried in the sand? If we are wrong about what is happening then you would think that someone would come on BOAY and tell us that we are wrong, wouldn’t you?? Not a single person has defended what HRNZ has been doing in the last few years! You just can not run any business like they have been and expect it to survive! I challenge anyone from HRNZ to come on and defend the decisions they are making to make harness racing flourish!

Stands are rubbish most of the time Taku, why pick on today? lol Not sure why Brad Steele has not said a single thing about them being so poor, do he is clearly happy with them!

Owners will need to make the most of what they are currently receiving in stake money, as there is nothing surer than when Entain pulls the funding in 2 years time, they will be racing for significantly less stake money. If we are only getting 4 horse fields with good stake money how do they think there are going to be more horses than this racing? Unfortunately things are not flash and HRNZ need to quickly acknowledge this fact and make the necessary changes! Business owners and CEO’s need to do best for their business, but is there anyone that thinks that the actions that have been taken since the cash splash is going to be successful??

Chief, if they are a gambling agency and punters aren’t cheating, then how is it right to any degree, that they can let one punter put on as much as they want on a horse and yet another punter backing the same horse, is restricted to a small amount? The Bookies should know the horses, so they put up the odds that they think is right! The fact is that they are losing massive turnover by not allowing punters on for reasonable amounts, and then receives very little more money on that horse on the fixed odds, due to slashing the hell out of the odds, is crazy! The restricted punters would increase the turnover significantly and should be encouraged rather than what they are doing!!! This would make the harness business stronger with all the flow on effects! What other business in NZ is allowed to treat its customer the way the NZ TAB treats its current ones??

So if 4% only win, why is it ok for the TAB to restrict the 4% that win??? The TAB acts with very little integrity! They want to ensure that everyone is a loser, and those that can beat them, they try to eliminate them by big restrictions! The TAB with the monopoly it has has been very bad for the wagering industry.

The thing is the starter needs to command respect from the drivers, or they take the piss which is what happens most of the time! It has come up so many times about the standing starts, the starters don’t seem to care and it is anything goes most of the time! High time the starters take it seriously and are professional, as they just arent currently!

Galah, I was going to make a comment about the Southland standing starts from where the Unruly horses start from lol. You are correct they are often at least 60 metres from the front line horses and he lets them go? They are getting paid for this crap? Not a fair go for anyone! How about some professionalism as it seems like it is just “ it doesnt matter” to them! Brad Steele says nothing yet is supposedly in charge, but doesn't want to get off side with anyone by the look of it?

The state or condition of being substandard! The fact remains that the standing starts have been substandard mostly for years! Punters are being misled or misrepresented by HRNZ by calling them standing starts when mostly they are far from that! Yes some horses stand and others are charging or moving it is just a bag of licorice allsorts as to what you get! Surely it isn't that hard?

The standing starts in the South Island are atrocious and yet they continue to program them? Over the Xmas period there have been far too many false starts and are consistently inconsistent! How on earth the starter is allowed to continue to dish up this amateur stuff is really quite disturbing for the harness industry! And yet a driver is over vigorous in the Stipes opinion gets fined or suspended, but the employees of HRNZ are allowed to get away with substandardness?