Software which reads tote not allowed

[highnote]

My IP address was blocked by one racing website. Then they asked me not not to use my software to read their toteboard. I agreed.

I was literally one day away from using their interface and their toteboard to start placing bets. I told them this but they were not interested in letting me read their toteboard with software -- even though I agreed to "hit" it very infrequently.

I would think that there is a demand for a service that would allow customers to read the toteboard with their own software. I wasn't planning on having my software place any bets. It is designed to notify me when a potentially good bet occurs. Then I would use the company's interface to bet or call in to the same company to place a bet.

So what we have here is a wagering service provider turning away a customer. I thought the industry needed money? Guess not. Must be nice to have so much money you can turn away customers. I may have to get into the wagering provider business.

Does anyone know of any toteboard providers that will allow software makers to connect with them and also offer betting services?

[PaceAdvantage]

Which company was it?

[Macdiarmadillo]

How "live" was this tote? There's usually some kind of delay in there. There's also still delays with the track tote--we still get odd changes after the gate opens, not to mention lots of last-minute money dumped in anyway. If you have enough cushion built in to your play, I suppose you could live with that.

[cosmicway]

Heve n't we talked about this one before ?
It's fairly useful to follow the tote, provided you have done some previous homework on the race as well.

Tote companies are diabolical.
They believe everyone is out there to hijack their data.
They could at least accept reputable people who wish to make calculations based on the the data-streams and give them through the web, as last minute advise to punters.
In the interests of the sport and the gaming industry itself they should be asked to become more cooperative.

[kenwoodallpromos]

I understand their concern about the piracy possibility.
And I would think that may be a way to protect the small bettor from big ones taking unfair advantage.
The tote interface nay not be able to recognize "reputable" bettors.

[highnote]

Which company was it?


I was blocked from accessing BRIS, BRIS Supertote, BRISBET and AMERICATAB.

I've been a customer of theirs since the early 90s. I have an affiliate deal with them where I get a small commission when enough people click through my site and buy stuff on their site.

I used to do my betting with them. I haven't done a lot lately because of other commitments, plus I've been developing a system that uses tote data as part of my system.

So it is very disappointing and a setback. However, I agreed not to use my software on their site and they agreed to unblock me. I will honor my end of the deal, but I will also end my affiliation with them. There are other data providers out there and there are other wagering service providers.

I hope I can find one who wants to build a long-term business relationship like the one I thought I had built with BRIS. I gave them many referrals over the years and always talked them up. I guess they just don't need the money. They must be very wealthy. Someday I hope to be wealthy enough that I can turn away customers whenever I feel like it.

It is never pleasant being treated like this. But I assume they have their reasons. They didn't tell me what the reasons were, but they must feel they have good ones.

Oh well. Onward and upward.

[cosmicway]

>> The tote interface nay not be able to recognize "reputable" bettors

Why, there may be an agreement between a businessman and them and they accept him as a subscriber if he is reputable. Otherwise they don't.
We have the same big problem here and I hope it has been resolved succesfully, as rumour has it. I will know next week when racing resumes.
If they don't, I have already filed a complaint with the "european ombudsman".

[highnote]

Tote companies are diabolical.
They believe everyone is out there to hijack their data.
They could at least accept reputable people who wish to make calculations based on the the data-streams and give them through the web, as last minute advise to punters.
In the interests of the sport and the gaming industry itself they should be asked to become more cooperative.


I agree Cos. What is so horrible about grabbing tote data of an online toteboard. I talked to Racing Channel about this a few years back when they went to a password based system. They said bandwidth was not an issue. They could handle lots of traffic and bandwidth wasn't a concern.

Well, maybe Racing Channel just has a better infrastructure? BRIS Supertote has never been as fast as Racing Channel. If you put the two side by side Racing Channel is by far the better of the two.

You'd think a company like BRIS would do what they could to attract new customers and keep current ones. I don't get it.

Can someone enlighten me? Why does BRIS want to lose a betting and data buying customer?

[highnote]

I understand their concern about the piracy possibility.
And I would think that may be a way to protect the small bettor from big ones taking unfair advantage.
The tote interface nay not be able to recognize "reputable" bettors.


In this day and age it would be a simple matter to recognize who is logging on. I wouldn't concur with that argument for one second.

Protect the small bettor from big ones taking unfair advantage? WHAT? How about helping the small bettor get an advantage instead of letting the big bettor keep the advantage.

[cosmicway]

There was a sort of international meeting in Paris I think last year on the issue of piracy.
In addition BHB (British Horse Racing Board) lost the trial in the European court concerning copyright (re. the names of the horses the bookies put on the cards) and they are likely to be very cross.
This situation is likely to reflect to America as well.

One could indeed go to some place like Pitcairn islands and use pirated tote data to set up his own betting shop (they might do that even without betting data of course).

I don't get it however.
If you are a company with some useful software product they shoud allow you to plug in - unless it is proven you are abusing their system.
The data belongs to the race courses in the first place and not the computer terminal companies.

Our problem is somewhat different.
The people who are requesting data feeds are the registered horseracing agents themselves ! And they don't have them.

[highnote]

This is another good example of why the horse racing industry is in decline. If you alienate customers how can you grow your business?

Imagine if the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ and others forbid computerized program trading. The stock market would be doing a fraction of the volume it is doing. Trading stocks generates commissions. From those commissions brokerages grow.

Well, when wagering companies alienate customers they lose commissions. When they lose commissions they don't grow their business. So, when I hear all this crying in the industry about racing being in decline, I say, well then take a look at your business model. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the problem is.

Turning off customers is a good way to lose business.