DESERVING SO MUCH BETTER

Paul Jacobs bemoans the ante-post odds stacked against battered punters

- Paul Jacobs

With the turn of the year ahead, all thoughts quite unnaturally will turn to the Cheltenham Festival, mind you that has been the case for many since the end of the third week of March 2024!

Most punters feel that the ante-post markets are dead and offer little or no value, but the situation is wider, deeper and highly more worrying than just pigeon-holing that one category of betting.

Firstly, even within the industry, betting is frowned upon and the layers lead the way! Yes we all know that checks on customers are driving betting underground, but let me put this to you. When you can’t get a decent bet on at an advertised price, where else would you go? I recently asked for a bet on a Saturday race on the Wednesday for £50 each-way @20/1 after the 48 hour decs when 17 were declared.

The bookmaker, online, refused and offered me £20 each-way @ 12/1? I obviously refused, and yet the price of this horse was still 20/1 in their shop window some two hours later. Scared to lay a bet, will not lay a bet in what is arguably, in theory the most competitive market place we have ever had online with so many bookmakers offering prices is a disgrace and a kamikaze way of operating.

So yes, please do believe customer checks are killing our sport, which is underpinned by us punters, but also that our partners in crime are further aggravating the situation and by doing so shooting themselves in their proverbial fat-laden toes.

Which means, as we do look forward to the ante-post market for 2025, I shall be surprised if you can get a lump on any of these likely players in the big races for the spring festival and beyond; but all the same good luck!

1: RYANAIR CHASE – Protektorat (each-way)