Betfred buys the TOTE

[slick]

Good thing or bad thing? I have my reservations when anything owned by the Government is flogged off, even more so when it cannot fail to make a profit and employs 9000 people.

He's not done so bad Fred has he, Salford lad come good.

Betfred 'wins tote auction' | Sport | guardian.co.uk

[Pete89]

The big thing that I'm against is that it'll mean less variation of odds on the high street. I always found some value on teh totes coupon (Probably why they dont make money...)

[TopDog]

Does this mean That ToteSport will be no longer be a separate site but all under the current Betfred online site?

[Colbro]

Originally Posted by slick

Good thing or bad thing? I have my reservations when anything owned by the Government is flogged off, even more so when it cannot fail to make a profit and employs 9000 people.

He's not done so bad Fred has he, Salford lad come good.

Betfred 'wins tote auction' | Sport | guardian.co.uk

You will have to explain that one to me Slick. If a business spends more money than it earns in income then it makes a loss.

Also the BBC link says it employs more than 3500

BBC News - Betfred wins auction for Tote with £265m deal

[7HEGR1MR3AP3R]

The bald cunt will up the market percentage takeout from 25% to about 80%

[slick]

I knew Colbro would jump in here

From what I've read i've seen nothing that mentions the Tote making a loss and 9000 people is more than 3500 in my book.

I did read 9000 people somehwere, it may have been the Telegraph, I'm just packing up at work now and I've got a bolshevik meeting at 5pm so I'll find the link l8r.

[slick]

I've just gone through my history and it was actually the Mail that mentioned it but the page has been updated @ 1.06pm and it now mentions 4000 staff , either my eyes are going or they have changed it.
I should have known better than to get info off the Mail.

[Pete89]

Did they also state that Done was a foriegner stealing out jobs and causing cancer?

[Pete89]

Regardless there will certianly be job cuts, firstly in the head office, they dont need two sets of odds compilers, secondly some shops will close, I know of about three totes will one eityher next door or accross the road, they'll be first to go along with the ones where there is now a BetFred's/Tote situation like that

[TopDog]

Yeah will chooose best odds compilers from both firms,so the Totes Craig Reed who is the horse racing man and wel respected in his industry will be certain to keep his job

[Colbro]

Originally Posted by slick

I knew Colbro would jump in here

From what I've read i've seen nothing that mentions the Tote making a loss and 9000 people is more than 3500 in my book.

I did read 9000 people somehwere, it may have been the Telegraph, I'm just packing up at work now and I've got a bolshevik meeting at 5pm so I'll find the link l8r.

The remarks were clearly made with me in mind so it would have been rude not to answer

I've no idea if it is good or bad at the moment. I also have no idea if they make profit or loss. I've no idea of the staff breakdown either although job losses are inevitable.

I always associate the tote with the place I put a bet on on my rare nights at the dogs and it is usually bettter value there than with the prof layers by the track - well for outsiders anyway. Hopefully most of the 3000 are employed in these sorts of jobs so will be safe and also so that betfred will continue to pay UK taxes on the profits.

Main fear of betfred taking over is outsourcing all the jobs overseas.

[Swooperman]

Colbro = scargill

Houllier = Doctor Jo

so who the fuck is billy mcneill

[Swooperman]

Callaghan = peter whittingham

Ormondroyd = that lanky cunt played for watford, erm......george someat ?? Reilly

[ONEDUNME]

Brilliant Bit of business from Fred the red.

He'll now be THE prominent bookmaker on every racecourse in Britain (effectively,shops that only open on profitable days - racedays).

He's cut down his competition in every town with a totesport betting shop in it, plus gained all the telephone and online customer base that Totesport had.

All for a one off lump sum and running cost that will be dramatically reduced in time as he streamlines the two operations by cutting out the duplicated work.

I've said for a long time that the companies that have relied mainly on bricks and mortar outlets such as Ladbrokes, Hills, Coral and Betfred needed to up their game or be left behind by the growing Internet bookies. Coral have improved their Internet business massively and Betfred have pulled this off. Meanwhile, Hills and Ladbrokes stand still and must be losing market share by the day, relying on the habits of the flat cap brigade to keep giving the their money.

In fact, Ladbrokes appear to be going backwards. I'm losing my voice from telling punters in local pubs who are waving Ladbrokes betting slips around that they are reducing their winnings by betting in shops that a/ aren't usually giving the best prices and b/ aren't offering best odds guaranteed when the prices drift.

They've also taken themselves off Oddschecker which automatically means that they don't get my business as I can't be arsed to check odds checker and then their price for every race. I cant be alone on that.

Ladbrokes profits dropped by 12% last year (Hills were up, but that was against a poor year previously). They can expect more of the same unless they get their act together. More of the flat cap and whippet brigade are dying every year. They need a plan "B"

[ONEDUNME]

Originally Posted by slick

I knew Colbro would jump in here

From what I've read i've seen nothing that mentions the Tote making a loss and 9000 people is more than 3500 in my book.

I did read 9000 people somehwere, it may have been the Telegraph, I'm just packing up at work now and I've got a bolshevik meeting at 5pm so I'll find the link l8r.

Just watching The Morning Line Slick and the 9000 is the combined number of employees of Betfred and Tote at the moment, so you didn't dream it.