Decimal odds trial a flop says bookies A trial of decimal odds at Ascot on Wednesday was considered to have been a failure by the bookmakers taking part. The day was generally a success for Racing For Change, a body charged with modernising and increasing awareness of the sport in Britain, with free entry to the Berkshire track more than doubling the attendance from last year. Racing For Change (RFC) wanted to try updating the traditional fractions on the bookmakers' boards in the betting ring, but there was little enthusiasm from several of the five decimal layers involved in the experiment. Barry Johnson, who stood at the far end of the large grandstand, said: "It has been an absolute disaster to be honest. I wanted to take part in the initiative but it has been a waste of time for me. "I have been outdone by the bookmakers on either side offering the usual odds and I haven't made any money. "There has been so much confusion. It has been in the right spirit but I wouldn't do it again." Geoff Banks, on a more prominent position on the rails, added: "It has been a failure and we have very much struggled against the others alongside. "I have spoken to a few traditional racegoers and they were unequivocally against it, and even experienced customers have been coming up to me and asking whether the decimals were 5-2, 11-8 or whatever. People like tradition. "I think far more important, and something I have been working with along with Racing For Change and the other major bookmakers, is the standardisation of each-way terms and that is something we hope will be coming in soon." Martyn Verrell, who was operating two of the other decimal trialling pitches, agreed with the sentiments of his peers. Nick Attenborough, the PR supremo of RFC, was grilled by At The Races presenter and former bookmaker John McCririck about the merits of the trial. He responded: "We need to see if it is something we all want, is it good for racing, or let's give it a bit more time. "We should go at these things slowly and carefully, I think rushing into things is more dangerous. We are not rushing ahead with something until it has been properly looked at. "I think there is a long way to go. The cost alone is a worry but with the betting exchanges going decimal, it will start to be the way people bet so we've got to be brave and look at the options." Attenborough added: "The bookmakers have taken a big risk today but we are very grateful for the support. We will have discussions after the meeting and see what comes out of it." Well-known racing face and bookmaker Barry Dennis was not using the decimals but said: "Charles Barnett (Ascot's chief executive) is a genius and a lot of the credit for today should go to him. "There has been a great crowd and we have had a fantastic day, the amount of bets we have taken is comparable to Royal Ascot. I'm a traditionalist, the decimals are optional and I don't want them." Jim Donnelley, spokesman for the Starting Price Regulatory Commission said: "The SPRC are very happy to have participated in the trials and all the people involved in the trial - Racing Enterprises Limited, bookmakers, betting operators and technical support - have been very helpful. "The SP returns for all races have been carried out in the normal way and those bookmakers taking part in the decimalisation trial were considered for inclusion in the sample in the normal way." While the decimals may have been knocked, there was plenty for RFC to be happy about in their week of free admission to many meetings. Barnett said: "The attendance was 19,215, compared to 8,257 last year. Pre-registration for the meeting was around 9,000, assuming they all came, and it has been a really good day, especially with the weather." Attenborough added: "We had people being turned away from the free meeting at Sedgefield this week and the whole thing has been well-supported by the media - it has been talked about outside the racing and sports pages. "We saw people having picnics in front of the Royal Box and I hope, and am sure, they have had a really good day."
