The fixed odds scroll displayed before races on Tellytrack has been disabled for the past week leaving many punters in the dark about betting moves on the books.
The KZN Bookmakers Society previously provided the data for the fixed odds scroll.
However, on October 1 they terminated their contract with the Tellytrack Partnership pertaining to the use of Multi-Choice Channel 239, the racing channel.
They continued to provide the fixed odds data feed, but as this provision was tied in with the Tellytrack racing channel contract, the Tellytrack Partnership were of the opinion that contractually they had no basis to use it.
Tellytrack then put up a banner explaining that the fixed odds scroll had been disabled due to the KZN Bookmaker’s Society terminating their contract, and the latter then decided to stop sending the data feed.
Tellytrack, which is owned by the stakeholders of South African Horseracing, Gold Circle, Phumelela and Kenilworth Racing, announced recently that they would be changing the current monthly license fee of R 5,600 per commercial outlet to 3% of the betting turnover on horseracing generated in or at the premises of such outlets.
Furthermore, with effect from October 1, the Tellytrack Partnership will contract with commercial users directly, as opposed to the previous structure whereby commercial users contracted with MultiChoice to obtain a viewing card and a decoder, and the three bookmaker associations (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape) contracted with the Tellytrack Partnership for the supply of Tellytrack to their members.
As an alternative to Tellytrack, Phumelela has offered to make visual broadcasts of races at its racecourses available for display in the retail outlets of those bookmakers who do not wish to subscribe to Tellytrack on the new terms.
The cost of these visual broadcasts will be the proportionate cost of producing such broadcasts. In respect of races staged at Turffontein the proportionate cost recovery is subject to the approval of the Gauteng Gambling Board and in respect of races at Arlington and Fairview, the proportionate cost recovery is subject to the approval of the Eastern Cape Gambling Board.
For races at the Vaal and in Kimberley, Phumelela will permit a reasonable number of camera operators, production staff, equipment and outside broadcast vehicles on course, so that bookmakers who do not wish to pay the cost recovery proposed by Phumelela, may produce the visual broadcast for themselves at their own cost.
The change to the fee structure was initially due to start on October 1, but the Tellytrack Partnership agreed to charge an interim R6,000 monthly fee for October and November, and to postpone the implementation of the 3% fee for an additional two months so as to allow bookmakers to consider their options.
The Cape and Gauteng bookmakers associations have maintained the status quo with Tellytrack, but the KZN bookmakers society has not.
The KZN Bookmakers are now relying on the multi-choice contract for sports channels, which includes the Tellytrack racing channel, as used by pubs and other such commercial outlets.
It is not clear yet whether there are legal implications related to the actions of the KZN Bookmakers Society, considering the stakeholders of South African horseracing pay Multi-Choice to broadcast the Tellytrack channel, but Racegoer will be following up on the ongoing situation.
www.goldcircle.co.za
