South Africa’s leading bookmakers Hollywoodbets have responded to a suggestion from a Sporting Post reader and formally adjusted their deductions policy when dealing with reserve runners.
Hilton Witz wrote in the Sporting Post Mailbag that in this new age of capacity fields and multiple reserve runners, a danger could be lurking for punters in the shape of those very reserve runners.
Witz brought to the attention of his fellow punters the dangers of wagering on the early betting on South African racing once the final acceptances have been done – normally 4 to 5 days in advance of any local meeting.
He hoped that there could be ‘some type of rule change in the best interests of both punters and bookmakers’ with regards to the early betting.
In a swift move, Hollywoodbets noted Witz’ concerns and have effectively revised their deduction table, as it applies to horses that are scratched from a race and replaced by another runner.
Normally when a horse at odds of 16/1 or less is scratched from a race, then bets on the winning horse are reduced by a certain percentage – depending on the scratched horse’s price.
Another great finish (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
With the prevalence of ‘reserve runners’ in the pressured post racing lockdown environment at the moment, the scratched horse can now be replaced by another. If the ‘new’ horse comes into the race at odds of 16/1 or less, then Hollywoodbets will apply the revised deduction table.
While Hollywoodbets have said that they did make subjective adjustments where necessary in the past, they have now formalized it and in the process become the first SA bookmakers to do so.
“It is so much fairer to the betting public – those players who have had a bet on the race before the original runner was scratched,” said Hollywoodbets’ Dermot O’Connell.
Find out more – visit Hollywoodbets.net
