How long has horse racing got left?

[aaron1867]

- UK is a older generation

- Typical gambler no interest in horses

- Shops empty (how long have the shops got?!)

- Bigger profits elsewhere

The lady who served me mentioned all this & said it soon will see a lot less horse racing. Will we be soon be seeing closure of some tracks too?

There isn't even much evening racing these days, although might be down to time of year?

[Tal]

An interesting question, Aaron. My peripheral perspective:

There is still racing 360-odd days of the year and pretty much everyone is within an hour of a course.

Poor economic times have affected everyone and everything, where a lavish day out at the osses is one of the first things to be cut. Businesses everywhere feel the squeeze so it's hardly surprising that a few courses have gone down.

The availability of other places and ways to bet has existed for a generation now so I think rumours of racing's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

My response to your question is we won't know until the economy picks up and we see where - when they have it - people spend their money.

[rfgqqabc]

It'll take a while to go, but i think its on the way out too. 30 years or so though easy. Plus we might see some international racing etc then, dont know enough about it to comment mch more than that.

[tikay]

- UK is a older generation

- Typical gambler no interest in horses

- Shops empty (how long have the shops got?!)- Bigger profits elsewhere

The lady who served me mentioned all this & said it soon will see a lot less horse racing. Will we be soon be seeing closure of some tracks too?

There isn't even much evening racing these days, although might be down to time of year?

Morning Aaron.

I think you have got the thread title wrong. Instead of "how long has horse racing got left?" it should have read "how long have betting shops got left?".

B & M betting shops ARE dying, but betting on horse racing is massively up year on year, but most betting is now done on the internet. Online Gaming is experiencing massive growth, B & M LBO's are, I'm sorry to say, not.

As LBO's, they wil not exist in 20 years. The overheads relative to Online Gaming are hugely out of line. Online Gaming does not have to worry about rent, rates, property maintenance, utility costs, or barely even staff.

[rfgqqabc]

B & M betting shops ARE dying, but betting on horse racing is massively up year on year, but most betting is now done on the internet. Online Gaming is experiencing massive growth, B & M LBO's are, I'm sorry to say, not.

As LBO's, they wil not exist in 20 years. The overheads relative to Online Gaming are hugely out of line. Online Gaming does not have to worry about rent, rates, property maintenance, utility costs, or barely even staff.

Betting on racing is going up year on year? In the UK? Surprised.

[doubleup]

B & M betting shops ARE dying, but betting on horse racing is massively up year on year, but most betting is now done on the internet. Online Gaming is experiencing massive growth, B & M LBO's are, I'm sorry to say, not.

As LBO's, they wil not exist in 20 years. The overheads relative to Online Gaming are hugely out of line. Online Gaming does not have to worry about rent, rates, property maintenance, utility costs, or barely even staff.

As long as they are allowed roulette machines they will continue to stay open.

[david3103]

I'd never seen a sportsbook until recently** - is there a legislative barrier to UK Casinos operating something similar in their premises? Or is it just about the profitable utilisation of space?


thin ;-)

[tikay]

B & M betting shops ARE dying, but betting on horse racing is massively up year on year, but most betting is now done on the internet. Online Gaming is experiencing massive growth, B & M LBO's are, I'm sorry to say, not.

As LBO's, they wil not exist in 20 years. The overheads relative to Online Gaming are hugely out of line. Online Gaming does not have to worry about rent, rates, property maintenance, utility costs, or barely even staff.

As long as they are allowed roulette machines they will continue to stay open.

True, but not on the proceeds of horse racing betting, which was Aaron's point.

[Doobs]

- UK is a older generation

- Typical gambler no interest in horses

- Shops empty (how long have the shops got?!)

- Bigger profits elsewhere

The lady who served me mentioned all this & said it soon will see a lot less horse racing. Will we be soon be seeing closure of some tracks too?

There isn't even much evening racing these days, although might be down to time of year?

The lady is right, it has been announced that Hereford and Folkestone are closing, though it may be temporary.  Great Leighs failed too.   But the big tracks seem busier than ever.  Cheltenham seems to get more popular by the year and I know Chester is way more popular now than it was when I used to go 20 years ago.

There is an obvious impediment to evening racing at this time of year.  They bring racing forward a couple of hours from around December to February so that the last race finishes when it is light.  I have been places where it can be getting dark when the last one goes off and I assume that is why it is often a bumper.

[gouty]

From a betting shop owners perspective UK horse racing is the most expensive product in the shop and yet has by far the lowest profit margin.

It's probably a loss leader for 90%+ of betting shops but gets people through the door to bet on other products like dogs and cartoons. I think if the roulette machines were banned more than half of shops would be unviable which would lead to massive horse racing levy reductions. So in a way the roulette machines are propping up UK horse racing.

Did you know that betting shops pay the tracks £6000 per race?

[bookiebasher]

I believe it's unsustainable in it's present format.

In 10-15 years only the top tracks will survive.

Betting levy revenue will decline and media rights for live pictures
will not be so valuable because the younger generation are not, in
general , interested in horse racing.

Most youngster's just want a quick fix and cant be bothered to study
form. Roulette gives them an opportunity to spin up £20 by just picking
a few numbers and getting lucky.

One thing I miss when going racing now is that you can't "pinch" a
price like you could 5-10 years ago. All the bookies work off betfair
and they all have the same odds. Half the fun of going racing was
running up and down the rows of bookies trying to nick a
 1/4 or 1/2 a point. It didn't really matter if the horse won
it was the battle against the bookies which counted.

Attendances have held up quite well over the last few years but
I will be amazed if the BHB can reverse the mindset of the younger
generation, the impact of internet/mobile betting apps and the loss
of live racing pictures in betting offices.

[exstream]

Is there a noticeable decline in the amount of money placed on horse races on Betfair?
Would that even make the difference as to how long horse racing has left?

[tikay]

Thats the key part Jim.....


I believe it's unsustainable in it's present format.

In 10-15 years only the top tracks will survive.

We all think it sad when the gaffs such as Folkestone close down, but hell, what sort of business model can sustain all that land & infrastructure  cost on half a dozen meetings a year? It's unthinkable to think they can survive, & tracks like that won't, sad as it may be.

But that does not mean Horse Racing will not survive - it will, it has been here well over a hundred years & it will easily manage another 100. It is a global thing now.

Greyhound Racing....not so much. Again, sad, but inevitable. The economics will slowly strangle it to death. 

[bookiebasher]

Unfortunately....I'm the Folkestone of the Betting shops

Costs spiralling out of control while revenue and profit margin go
in the other direction.

You never see a poor bookie.......

[doubleup]

Within a couple of years all the big offshore companies will be forced to get a uk license and pay uk betting duty - presumably this will increase racings income?