A Reliable Online Toteboard?

[Jeff P]

Does anyone know of a reliable online toteboard?

For the past year or so, I've been using Bris Supertote as my source for live odds. The past three days, they've been having "programmers" do work on it, adding such things like post position colors in the program area, etc. Kind of cool, but to do so, the odds display and changeover to the next race after one becomes official is all messed up- to the point where it is no longer reliable for getting live odds.

Several calls to their tech support team have fallen on deaf ears. They should be working on their changes in a test environment, NOT with the thing live and thousands of customers trying to use it. Experimenting on a live toteboard fully knowing that it will become useless during the day is no way to treat customers.

[GameTheory]

www.racingchannel.com is most reliable, but you must open an account with either oneclickbetting or philly phonebet....

[Jeff P]

GT,

Thanks. I'll check that out.

BTW, I was surfing around on the net and found:
http://espn.go.com/horse/liveracing.html

They had odds and MTP for quite a few tracks and live video for a select few tracks. I began watching OPX which they had video for. Got interested in the card. Then as just as the horses were loading into the gate for R10, the video signal was switched over to Lebonon (a Harness track) where they began showing yesterday's race replays. Sometimes trying to follow horses on the net is a joke.





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[Zman179]

They had odds and MTP for quite a few tracks and live video for a select few tracks. I began watching OPX which they had video for. Got interested in the card. Then as just as the horses were loading into the gate for R10, the video signal was switched over to Lebonon (a Harness track) where they began showing yesterday's race replays. Sometimes trying to follow horses on the net is a joke.

You get what you pay for. Truer words were never spoken.

[Bluenose]

http://www.trni.tv is the most reliable I have found and uses the same format as racingchannel.com

[Jeff P]

Bluenose,

Thank You. That's exactly what I was looking for.

[GameTheory]

http://www.trni.tv is the most reliable I have found and uses the same format as racingchannel.comIt *IS* Racing Channel. I wonder if they are just stealing it -- many off-shore books do that although this doesn't look like a book....

[BillW]

Their "About" link says they are The Racing Channel International broadcasting into the British Isles. Obviously they still could be someone spoofing - as it is interesting that they are open as opposed to account based access.

BTW note that they do not cover all North American tracks.

Bill

[Tote Master]

I would have to agree that the Racing Channel provides the most reliable source for an on-line tote board. There are many other sources like Brisnet too, but for whatever the reason, they just don't seem to be as consistent.
Zman179
You get what you pay for. Truer words were never spoken. Its too bad more people don't understand this simple phrase.

Regardless, its good to hear that other's might be using the board to their advantage also. It's a great tool if you really understand it. I hope you're doing well with it!

Best of Luck!

[Jeff P]

Posted by ZMan179- You get what you pay for.
And by Tote Master -Its too bad more people don't understand this simple phrase.
Here's the thing about Bris and Supertote. It's not like I'm trying to get something for nothing out of them. Last year I downloaded an average of 5 or 6 past performance and results files a day, 7 days a week... works out to a little more than 2 grand for the year. I've been a Bris customer for about 10 years now. I've probably spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 grand with them for data in that time. They put up their online toteboard and maintain it as part of a total package. They do this to create an image- an image that they a one stop place on the internet for any and all handicapping info.

As a paying customer, I've come to rely on them for living up to the image they've created. And that reliance includes their online toteboard. I know I'm not the only one who's come to rely on Supertote for accurate and timely odds information.

When they purposely disrupt Supertote in the middle of live race cards on a Friday afternoon to make, test, and remake html changes, I don't feel the least bit bashful about complaining and complaining loudly.

I'm a contract programmer. I've done work for companies like American Express, ST Microelectronics, Verizon Wireless, and others. There's something called a testing environment. They just as easily could have made and tested all of their web changes on a development server first. Once everything was working, THEN they could have copied it over to their live server. Any programmer SHOULD know to do that. They do that and the same web changes get made but with no disruption in service. Instead, they chose to do their web development on a live server, basically saying a loud FU to all of their customers relying on Supertote for timely and accurate odds information.

I feel like I've got a legitiamte gripe.




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[rokitman]

Their "About" link says they are The Racing Channel International broadcasting into the British Isles. Obviously they still could be someone spoofing - as it is interesting that they are open as opposed to account based access.

BTW note that they do not cover all North American tracks.

Bill


It's no spoof. That's been around for 3 years that I know of. The only drawback is the limited track menu. It mirrors what you can see on TV in Great Britain, I believe.

[Bluenose]

It's no spoof. That's been around for 3 years that I know of. The only drawback is the limited track menu. It mirrors what you can see on TV in Great Britain, I believe.


You are correct rokitman.
The tracks covered are those shown on the cable channel "attheraces" in the UK and sometimes one or two others. The racing channel toteboard is accessable through this site if you click on a tracks tote and then click "thoroughbred menu" at the bottom of the board it gives you the racing channel site without subscribing.

[rrbauer]

Jeff P wrote:
"Once everything was working, THEN they could have copied it over to their live server. Any programmer SHOULD know to do that. They do that and the same web changes get made but with no disruption in service. Instead, they chose to do their web development on a live server, basically saying a loud FU to all of their customers relying on Supertote for timely and accurate odds information."

Comment:
Everything that you say is correct. However, things like offline testing and terms like "Quality Assurance" are absent from the BRIS vocabulary; and, tactics like changing the layout of the export file and not telling anyone (particularly the guys that have been buying it for five years) are BRIS trademarks. Welcome to the club!

[Tote Master]

Zman179
You get what you pay for. Truer words were never spoken.
Tote Master
Its too bad more people don't understand this simple phrase.My comment was not directed at you Jeff P, but to those that are always trying to get something for nothing. They don’t value themselves or anything they do, so how could they possibly appreciate or value something that someone else does or provides.
Jeff P
I feel like I've got a legitimate gripe.You and hundreds of other paying customers certainly do! There’s absolutely no excuse for them not to perform their modifications and changes on a different server altogether. Heaven forbid that they should try to avoid inconveniencing their customers.

Lots of Luck in dealing with them!

[trying2win]

Lately, I wonder too if Bris Supertote is living up to its name for their online toteboard. A few recent examples:

1. Sometimes when i've highlighted a track and hit 'enter', the name of the track doesn't even show up on my computer screen.

2. On Mon. Feb. 21/05 at the brisnet.com site, they neglected to list Turf Paradise and Mountaineer Park on their toteboard.

Bris Supertote...hmmm...is this a misnomer at times?

T2W

[raybo]

Is Brisnet's Supertote the same as Brisbet's toteboard? I always assumed it was. I personally use Brisbet's tote and not Supertote and have not had any problems like that. If Brisbet's tote is different than Supertote then you might try it out, it won't cost you anything.

[Jeff P]

Raybo,

Brisbet has a different live tote system than Bris Supertote. I would LOVE to be able to try it out. Unfortunately, I live in California. Due to political games and the influence that certain lobbyists have had on the state legislature here, Brisbet aint allowed to let any of us Californians sign up.

[GameTheory]

Raybo,

Brisbet has a different live tote system than Bris Supertote. I would LOVE to be able to try it out. Unfortunately, I live in California. Due to political games and the influence that certain lobbyists have had on the state legislature here, Brisbet aint allowed to let any of us Californians sign up.I don't think it is any different than Supertote. Brisbet, TSNbet, TSN Supertote, Bris Supertote -- all the same as far as I know. They sure look the same. Why would BRIS use two different toteboards?

Racing Channel is different, and YouBet is different (I've never used YouBet), and some tracks have individual toteboards on their websites...

[Jeff P]

GT,

When I called their tech support on Fri to complain about Supertote being down, one of their techies asked if I had a BrisBet acct. He said that if I did, I could get odds from the BrisBet toteboard. He implied that the two are generated using different servers. They were dinking around with Supertote but weren't touching the BrisBet online toteboard (at least that day.)

BTW, I sent them a link to this thread. I'd like to think that somebody there took notice of how bad this was making them look. Because, at least since Sat, the minutes to post and odds info for each race (but not exa combinations) became reliable again.




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[BillW]

Jeff,

Their front ends (and front-end servers) are probably different, but I would guess a common engine feeds them.

Bill

[GameTheory]

Jeff,

Their front ends (and front-end servers) are probably different, but I would guess a common engine feeds them.

Yes, that's what I was getting at -- if they are all up & working you're going to get the same thing. (I've always found the RC toteboard to be quicker with the updates, etc -- it seems like BRIS is a minute behind sometimes, although they claim they've improved that so it may no longer be the case.) I wonder if BRIS and TSN are on the same server? You might try the TSN supertote if Bris is being flakey...

[BillW]

My biggest complaint is that they are totally lax on track condx. I've made it a point to call and complain every time I see something wrong with the hope that they will get so sick of me complaining that they will start paying attention and getting it right. :D (So far I've been unsuccessful :( )

[GameTheory]

My biggest complaint is that they are totally lax on track condx. I've made it a point to call and complain every time I see something wrong with the hope that they will get so sick of me complaining that they will start paying attention and getting it right. :D (So far I've been unsuccessful :( )Yeah, RC wins again there too -- they are generally on top of the current condition and scratches, etc, although that is somewhat track dependent I think. Now if we could get an online shoe board, and a dozen fixed cameras to choose views of the paddock, the walking ring, and the track, we'd be all set.

[raybo]

Jeff P "Due to political games and the influence that certain lobbyists have had on the state legislature here, Brisbet aint allowed to let any of us Californians sign up."

That sucks Jeff, sorry man. I had a similar problem with YouBet.com years ago here in Texas. We have a law prohibiting the online wagering on Texas tracks by Texas residents and YouBet complied by not allowing it's Texas members to bet Texas tracks. Brisbet.com says they will let the state of Texas take care of their own problems, themselves.

[Jeff P]

About 18 months ago I moved to CA from AZ. In AZ, I could show up at Turf Paradise and bet pretty much any and all tracks running in North America on any given race day (signal and technology permitting.) When I arrived in CA and made my first trip to the satellite wagering facility at DMR, I was shocked to see that they only offered a select few hand-picked out of state races for wagering. I did some inquiries and it turned out that the state legislature here approved a measure allowing a max of 22 or 23 out of state races for wagering on any given race day. Everything else offered must be in state. One of the mutuel mgrs at DMR walked me around the plant and, among other things, pointed out internet based betting stations that had YouBet interfaces that they had been required to disable because of the measure approved by the legislature. He further went on to explain that the measure was backed by money and lobbyists from Magna/Xpressbet who objected to YouBet getting a foot in the door in such a manner.

That's when I started playing online. Their own policy, designed to prevent out of state competition and create something of a partial monopoly for Magna Ent, actually drove me (and my money) away.

Go figure.

[GameTheory]

About 18 months ago I moved to CA from AZ. In AZ, I could show up at Turf Paradise and bet pretty much any and all tracks running in North America on any given race day (signal and technology permitting.) When I arrived in CA and made my first trip to the satellite wagering facility at DMR, I was shocked to see that they only offered a select few hand-picked out of state races for wagering. I did some inquiries and it turned out that the state legislature here approved a measure allowing a max of 22 or 23 out of state races for wagering on any given race day. Everything else offered must be in state. One of the mutuel mgrs at DMR walked me around the plant and, among other things, pointed out internet based betting stations that had YouBet interfaces that they had been required to disable because of the measure approved by the legislature. He further went on to explain that the measure was backed by money and lobbyists from Magna/Xpressbet who objected to YouBet getting a foot in the door in such a manner.

That's when I started playing online. Their own policy, designed to prevent out of state competition and create something of a partial monopoly for Magna Ent, actually drove me (and my money) away.

Go figure.
So what are the "on-shore" options for online wagering from CA now? YouBet takes CA accounts, don't they?

[schweitz]

Brisbet.com says they will let the state of Texas take care of their own problems, themselves.

Except you can't wager on Lone Star through BrisBet if you live in Texas---this is Lone Star's doing, not BrisBet.

[Jeff P]

So what are the "on-shore" options for online wagering from CA now? YouBet takes CA accounts, don't they?

So far as I know... YouBet, XPressBet, Philly Phone Bet






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[BillW]

So far as I know... YouBet, XPressBet, Philly Phone Bet






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TVG?

[GameTheory]

So why no AmericaTab (Brisbet)?

[raybo]

"Except you can't wager on Lone Star through BrisBet if you live in Texas---this is Lone Star's doing, not BrisBet."

Schweitz,

Is that true? I thought since Magna opened up their tracks with Brisbet that Lone Star would be included in the deal. Are you sure Lone Star won't be on Brisbet?

[raybo]

California residents cant use Brisbet?

[Jeff P]

Why no BrisBet?

I don't know the exact specifics why. I only know that BrisBet/Ameritab won't allow us Californians to sign up. Go to the Brisbet or TSNbet websites and visit either new account sign up page. On the drop down for State only certain states are listed. CA isn't one of them.

Like I said, the intent of the measure adopted by the state legislature here seems to be to create a sort of partial monopoly.

[GameTheory]

Why no BrisBet?

I don't know the exact specifics why. I only know that BrisBet/Ameritab won't allow us Californians to sign up. Go to the Brisbet or TSNbet websites and visit either new account sign up page. On the drop down for State only certain states are listed. CA isn't one of them.

Like I said, the intent of the measure adopted by the state legislature here seems to be to create a sort of partial monopoly.That is an old law (pre-internet, pre-Magna), I believe. There is talk of scrapping it -- hopefully they will.

I actually had an AmericaTab account when I lived in California. Then they decided it was illegal even though nothing in the law changed, and they set up that system whereby each account wagering provider had to be individually approved by some board. Strange situation...

[schweitz]

"Except you can't wager on Lone Star through BrisBet if you live in Texas---this is Lone Star's doing, not BrisBet."

Schweitz,

Is that true? I thought since Magna opened up their tracks with Brisbet that Lone Star would be included in the deal. Are you sure Lone Star won't be on Brisbet?

Before Magna you could wager on Lone Star through BrisBet. When Magna bought Lone Star, the Texas Racing Commission made it a condition of sale that Magna would not take in-state internet wagers on Lone Star ( since 1. it's illegal and 2. Magna owns a wagering service). Thanks to brisbet you can wager on Sam Houston and Retama---also , at one time you could wager on Lone Star through the Fairgrounds internet wagering service---this may have changed with the sale of Fairgrounds.

[rokitman]

That is an old law (pre-internet, pre-Magna), I believe. There is talk of scrapping it -- hopefully they will.

I actually had an AmericaTab account when I lived in California. Then they decided it was illegal even though nothing in the law changed, and they set up that system whereby each account wagering provider had to be individually approved by some board. Strange situation...


Yup, if they didn't get approved, they can't take bets. Why they wouldn't, I don't know. I gave the Broadbent brothers a referral on a lawyer I happened to have spoke to out there that is a big-name gaming specialist. It was for the purpose of securing their approval. Surprised to hear they aren't taking CA bets.

Guess there's an important lesson there: do not get your referrals from me!