Straight Up – Bowlers, bookies and betting

In this edition:

• Clean bowled – Punter denied a $30,000 payout | Ex-CEO Rytenskild has win in Fair Work battle with Tabcorp
• ATC board hopeful labels Rosehill sale process a ‘betrayal’ | Global star Elvstroem dies in France aged 24 | Sean Carroll takes key Tasmanian integrity role
• Te Akau pulls out all stops for record-breaking $1.65 million colt at Karaka | Yulong’s strength on display at Karaka | Bold Bastille fetches $810,000
• Straight Talk Podcast – Episode 5

The battle between bookies and punters is fundamental to Australian racing culture.

But the dynamic of that relationship has changed dramatically in the past decade and given the resources which wagering corporations have at their disposal, it is certainly harder for punters to win regularly than ever before.

There is a perception among a significant group of punters, rightly or wrongly, that it is not a fair fight.

It is why it is no surprise that we get massive engagement and record interest on a story like the one we ran this week about a Ladbrokes customer who was denied a pay out because they were determined to be operating their account of behalf of someone else.

The use of ‘bowlers’ is contentious, and a breach of bookies’ conditions, and this particular example seems particularly blatant, but the discussion around this story has raised some interesting questions about the perception of bookie behaviour in general.

The prospect of a federal government wagering ombudsman was raised in the You Win Some You Lose More Report, but seems to have fallen off the government reform agenda amid the kerfuffle around advertising bans.

Is there enough consumer protection in play in an environment where there are close to 100 licensed corporate bookies, operating under different regimes depending on where they are based?

It has been a disruptive year for one of Australia’s largest and high-profile wagering brands, Tabcorp. You will recall back in March, previous CEO Adam Rytenskild left suddenly over alleged comments made about a regulator.

Rytenskild is pursuing an unfair dismissal case against his former employer and had a significant win at the Fair Work Commission this week, proving that he departure from the company was not voluntary.

Tim Rowe has been busy at Karaka this week covering the NZB Ready To Run Sale, where there was a record result on Wednesday as Te Akau paid $1.65 million for a colt by I Am Invincible.

Yulong have also been in a buying mood, getting an I Am Invincible of their own, after their associated Walnut Farm outfit shelled out $810,000 for flying filly Bold Bastille at an Inglis Online Sale earlier in the week.

The ATC board elections are currently underway, with the results to be announced at the annual general meeting on November 28. Warwick Barr chatted to aspiring board member David Walter about his thoughts of the plan to sell Rosehill, as well as the future direction of the Club.

Sean Carroll will take up the role as Tasmania’s first Racing Integrity Commissioner, leaving a similar role in Victoria as the Apple Isle looks to sort out its spate of integrity scandals.

Meanwhile, tributes have flowed in for Elvstroem, after the five-time Group 1 winner died in France this week.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s episode of Straight Talk, our new podcast, where Tim Rowe and I talk about the secret to success at two-year-old sales, the ATC AGM and the use of bowlers. Also available on Apple, Spotify and Podbean.

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Regards

Bren O’Brien

Managing Editor and Founder

The Straight