It’s been a fairly quiet week in horse racing, so much so that the biggest talking point of the past few days has come off the course.
Social media went into overdrive this week when bookmaker Geoff Banks revealed that one of his staff had made an error at York during the Ebor Festival, resulting in him being severely out of pocket.
The member of staff paid a winning punter £3750 instead of £375, which is ten times more than the punter was owed, over £3000 of additional profit.
The replies on social media were fascinating, and if you wanted a glimpse into the world of punters v bookmakers and the feelings around that battle, then you certainly got it.
Do We Lose Our Moral Compass When Gambling?
Generally speaking, anyone placing a bet of £100, whether it’s on course or off the track, will know the winnings they stand to get, even if it’s only roughly.
So, let’s assume this punter knew the winnings they would be getting were around the £300-£400 mark and not into four figures.
But even if they didn’t, the returns are always marked on your receipt, and while the bet was towards the end of the day, it’s a long stretch to believe the punter had no idea of the returns and also didn’t see the figure on their betting slip.
The 4:45 pm on Saturday was won by Tropical Storm, meaning the bet was a winner, and £375 was owed to the punter.
But when it came to paying out, talk was of a bet owing £3750, which has apparently confused the clerk, who paid out that amount to this punter, £3375 more than what was owed.
At this point, the punter took the money and walked off.
Given this is a bet that has been paid out, there are not too many comparable situations you can use, it’s pretty unique.
However, let’s say that you went into a shop and returned an item, getting a cash refund for it. If you were given ten times more than you were owed due to an error by the sales assistant, then I’m sure many people would declare this.
The number declaring it would surely rise considerably if the amount in question was over £3000.
But when you read the replies online, many people were on the side of the punter, saying they would have done the same and that the bookmakers deserve every bit of bad luck they get.
I’m not one to sit here and defend the bookmakers, as they generally get a lot going in their favour, but we have to draw a line somewhere and have a moral compass, don’t we?
Whether it’s a bookmaker on course, a shop or some other circumstance, if someone was trying to give £3000 more than what I was owed, I’d like to think I’d have the decency to flag it.
Battle Between Punters and Bookmakers Intensifies
This bigger picture to all of this, though, could be how much the battle between punters and bookmakers has intensified over the years.
It really is a battle, us vs. them, and the replies around this story highlight just how deep that now goes.
Horse racing has always been accused of being too traditional, but we may now be seeing that fade away, and I think it’s partly down to the battle taking place between punters and bookmakers.
New, more general punters are turning towards horse racing. These punters are in it to win it, they’re having days out at the races and looking to beat the bookmakers as often as they can.
Attracted by the big Saturday meetings, which can often include entertainment after racing, it’s not always about the action on track for some people.
I think we’re at the stage where racing has to attract these people in order to survive. But at the same time, we do need to ensure a moral compass remains within racing and gambling as a whole.
Yes, punters vs the bookmakers will always exist in the world of horse racing. Yes, punters will want to win as often as possible. But should this come by taking something that is not owed to you, and given in error?
No, it shouldn’t, and no matter how much you dislike bookmakers and how much you think they give you a terrible deal, we live in a world where mistakes happen, and we need to act morally right when they do.