I have just one question regarding the pay-outs of winners/placed horses on the Saftote.
It goes something like this; the given odds on the Saftote site (win/place odds) always tend to be less for the winning horses after the race is run. Internet these days is immediate whereas pay-out changes keep occurring during the running of the race.
Betting from outside the country shouldn’t make any difference than if you are at the racecourse itself. If you have any answers to this little indifference I see please let me know.
Peter Ellis (Outside Dutch punter) – via email
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Phumelela Responds
With regard to the query from the customer, I will try to explain the process. The Saftote website displays dividends based on bet processed up to the point that the site automatically refreshes.The automatic refresh time on the site is set at a minute but this does not mean information is only updated every minute. As with most websites there is an automatic refresh but the user can manually refresh the information by clicking on the refresh button.
Going back to the information that drives the website display, this is the Tote wagering system and it is updated every time a bet is registered in the system. There are international customers participating in our pools and we do not register individual bets in our system. This is standard practice and is in accordance to Inter Tote Systems Protocol (ITSP).
With our foreign sources pool totals are transferred to our system every 5 to 10 seconds. The bets are registered on the foreign betting system and only accumulated totals and units on each runner are transferred.
At the start of the race we send a “stop betting” signal to all local outlets as well as foreign systems. That means no further wagers can be placed on the race. Our system then requests final pool totals from our foreign sources that are linked for that specific race. These are accumulated and the final pool totals are available within the 5 to 10 seconds it takes to receive the update. The website refreshes at the next cycle and will display dividends accordingly.
It could be that dividends will change slightly during this last update and especially if a large bet is placed on a specific runner. However, if this happens the rest of the field would “drift” in terms of what is displayed. I trust this answers your customers question and feel free to contact me for further information.
Mervin Gamble Simulcast Manager: Phumelela International
Footnote:
Just to add to Mervin Gamble’s response, we obviously cannot dictate to customers to place bets at a certain time. We also understand that the highest percentage of monies wagered on the Tote, tend to be placed on or around the off of the race. I trust that the explanation clarifies the reader’s query.
Vee Moodley – Executive: Sports Betting, Phumelela Gaming & Leisure
