Tasmanian based parimutual operator The TOTE has finally delivered on its promise to introduce Flexi Betting this week, only problem is that they have missed the bus by 4-5 years. I shudder to think how many patrons they have lost over that time frame to interstate competitors who have been offering that facility for years. Most punters are simple folk, they don't want multiple betting accounts so if any opened a TabCorp account for the purpose of taking Flexi Quaddies or Trifectas then its logical that this would then become their primary betting account going forward for all bet types.
Complaints were numerous from consumers but the standard response was "it is coming in a couple of months" but those months turned into years. The TOTE have been spoilt since their Betfair alliance gave all Betfair customers access to bet with The TOTE via the Betfair site.
This issue should have been a priority and whilst their bottom line may still look okay currently due to the aforementioned Betfair alliance I really doubt they will get the majority of punters back who jumped ship. Seems an awfully strange time to introduce it as well with the spring carnival in swing and I would rate it a $1.20 chance that the upgrade will cause a major computer glitch at exactly the wrong time. Surely the middle of winter is the time to introduce this facility to ensure all chinks are ironed out prior to the high turnover season.
They have really dropped the ball on a few issues recently and whilst the decision to not fast track Flexi Betting was totally absurd, their decision to change to a sports betting alliance with Centrebet wasn't far behind. Prices are a dead set joke and not even half competitive and it needs to be seriously looked into prior to anything being renewed on that front as they make TAB Sportsbet look like the most generous bookmakers on earth and they are far from competitive on a national level. I know its hard to believe but it really is that bad and if anybody wants proof then have a look at the Betasport prices on The TOTE site and compare that to the Centrebet odds for the same event who I believe actually underwrite the bets.
No wonder all the buyers jumped ship when the proposed recent sale was meant to be a fait accompli.
Whilst I have given The TOTE a bit of a bagging for this issue, I do commend them for a few things they have done recently. Their TasRacing site is excellent, they have recently introduced youtube previews for their gallops meetings and have also embraced the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
