on-course bookmakers driven out by the large betting companies

[Wandering Eyes]

Eerie scenes at a betting ring which used to often be a hive of activity at Wagga Wagga.

Who would want to be a bookie these days?

They are the thoughts of Leeton man Terry Coelli, one of the last remaining in an occupation which is fast grinding to a halt.

Coelli often drives to Canberra to work at Thoroughbred Park meetings, where small crowds on the smaller-stakes race days and dwindling public funding drove Luke Pepper away from the nation’s capital, as he told horsebetting.com.au this month.

And with the larger betting companies now dominating the market, the hive of activity in a betting ring is now largely a thing of the past.
It all paints a “diabolical” picture for Coelli who – at 65 – gratefully says he’s had a good run in the industry.

“I think there are only seven who now have a licence in Canberra,” he said.

“It’s one of the few places that holds a considerable amount of money. But working midweek in Wagga and in country NSW – it’s diabolical.

“You still have the little places like Hay, Hillston, Berrigan – they all have one-off non-TAB meetings once a year, which are very good.

“A lot of bookmakers just do that. But you wouldn’t believe how bad the holds are.”

Despite the gloomy situation ahead which won’t change anytime soon, Coelli prefers the glass half-full when he’s reminded of his situation.

“Bookmakers used to be part of the attraction of going to the races because they were the only places you could bet,” he said.

“I wouldn’t want to be taking it up now, and I wouldn’t advise anyone to take it up now.

“You can do it if you wanted to do a bit of travelling and just do the non-TAB meetings, because they’ll always be there.

“But now you get bookies coming from everywhere for every non-TAB meeting.

“It’s just a sign of the times – that’s the way the industry’s gone.”

Coelli can understand – with the amount of betting organisations to choose from – why punters would prefer to stay at home these days.

“You’ve got the expense of going to a race meeting. All midweek TAB meetings are free. Canberra is free, except it’s big meetings like the Black Opal and Melbourne Cup Day,” he said.

“And Wagga’s the same, except half a dozen special days where you’ve got to pay to get in.

“The trots are all free, too. But in saying that, why would you want to go there and pay $8 for a beer, $12 for a streak sandwich and you can sit at home on your phone and do it?

“And it’s a dying game. There’s no atmosphere and there are no bookmakers there.

“Now you can get a bet everywhere, which is just how it is.

“Times change, and you’ve just got to go with it.”

With an unsure future hanging over his occupation, Coelli is just thankful to have worked over 30 years doing something he loves.

“My Plan B is I’m out because I’m 65. I don’t want to be doing this for much longer,” he said.

“For a lot of people (punters who have so many competitive options) it’s good. But for bookmakers it’s not so good.

“I’ve got a mate of mine in his early-40s and he’s just taken out a corporate licence.

“He’s about to start up in August. He asked me if I wanted to go in with him.

“I said no – it’s 24/7. There are bets all night and every day.”
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