Scary times for greyhound racing in the capital with news that Wimpey is close to a deal to acquire Walthamstow Stadium. Unfortunately, that won’t mean a brand new burger bar at the track because it’s George Wimpey - the builder - who will flatten the track just like Ascot but there will be no room for a hare at the new Walthamstow with flats and houses by the dozen replacing the track which has seen racing for 70 years.
The sad reality is that despite a resurgence in on-track attendance – the track still loses money.
Walthamstow has also been hitting the headlines this weekend for the somewhat bizarre decision to ban the use of Betfair on-track. Apparently there has been an increase in punters using PDA’s and telephones – to get on at Betfair prices – and you can hardly blame them.
However, banning the high-tech punters is ridiculously short-sighted and simply draws attention to the poor value the on-course bookies have got away with for years. Exchanges are here to stay and it is highly unlikely punters clued up enough to have Betfair PDA access to 105% books will suddenly rush back to the 125% on offer on the boards.
Greyhound racing, as a night out is superb entertainment – but the sport simply has to move with the times. If that means tracks jettisoning their antiquated Tote systems and showing a little less loyalty to the bookmaking cartel then so be it. With de-regulation and cheaper technology – greyhound tracks have the ideal opportunity to be the equivalent of
