Tuesday 5 March 2019

Making contact

You don’t need to be an avid fan of the Halifax and its mildly irritating Ghostbusters TV advert to realise that contactless payments are on the increase.

Nowadays, all manner of retail outlets - large and small – accept a quick swipe of a debit card as a means of payment. What's more, you’re allowed to spend up to £30 a throw (in London this roughly equates to a copy of the Racing Post, a medium-sized bottle of still water and a Twix).

What’s that got to do with horse racing? Well, the slightly savvier end of the on-course bookmaker collective has realised that contactless is the way to go if it's to attract business from 20 and 30-something racegoers. 

With the Festival fast-approaching, I asked Cheltenham racecourse for a breakdown of its on-course bookmaking community for the four days in March this year and how many of these may be offering contactless transactions.

According to course spokesperson Sophia Dale, there are going to be 36 bookmakers located on the Rails & Lower Rails, 90 will be plying their trade in Tatts & Lower Tatts, 75 in the Best Mate enclosure (the part of the track facing the main grandstand), eight operators in the See You Then section and six in the Centaur building.

Dale said she estimated that around 20 per cent of the bookmakers present would be accepting payment by card. 

It’s certainly an easier way to pay for a punt if you're short of readies at the Festival. Lengthy ATM queues have become a regular feature at the course in recent years, especially during the Festival. 

Of course, the combination of imbibing a pint or two along with a simple wave of a debit card to place a bet is potentially financially toxic. Keeping tabs on wagers is crucial. There's no point going for a fun day at the races only for your finances to get swiped out.

No comments:

Post a Comment