Punters suffer with "disgraceful markets" from on-course betting at Stradbroke meeting

MEASURES have been put in place to ensure the assessment of official price fluctuations from the Ipswich Cup meeting won't be limited to on-course betting.

Moriarty

MEASURES have been put in place to ensure the assessment of official price fluctuations from the Ipswich Cup meeting won't be affected the way they were last Saturday at Eagle Farm.

Queensland's biggest race meeting became the subject of national scrutiny this week, with professional punters questioning why official fluctuations on Stradbroke day were not in line with Racing Queensland's new policy.

In recent months, prices sent off course from Brisbane meetings have included markets taken from corporate bookmakers, TattsBet and on-course operators.

From the J.J. Atkins onwards last Saturday, the mobile internet meltdown meant betting stewards were only using on-course prices.

The problem considerably inflated the percentages being sent away.

In race 3, the final market percentage was 120 per cent, but the Brisbane Cup (Race 9), opened at an embarrassing 140 per cent, before closing at 133.

In layman's terms, the higher the percentage, the more the odds are stacked in favour of bookies, meaning it's harder for punters to win.

Racing Queensland chief steward Wade Birch said because it was the first year prices had been assessed in this way, the problem wasn't foreseen.

"It just reaffirms our commitment to assessing prices the way we have over the past six months," Birch said.

The chief steward assured punters that steps have been taken to ensure their won't be a repeat at Ipswich, where traffic is certain to have the same consequences on mobile devices.

Punter Peter Lawrence told Racenet the "the betting ring action reflected a Birdsville maiden" at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

"Queensland bookies and betting stewards combined to turn back the clock and inflict on punters a thoroughly disgraceful set of prices that have no place in any modern day betting arena," he wrote.