Improvements You'd LIke To See At PTC

[trying2win]

What kind of improvements would you like to see at PTC? As for me, here are a few:

1. A CEO who is computer-savvy and has his own email address, so customers can send him questions directly instead of through a general customer email address.

2. If the sleazy Tracknet characters are demanding that PTC pay no more than a 2 % rebate on it's tracks, then that should leave money left over for streaming live video for Tracknet's racetracks to PTC'S account holders.

3. Get INSTADEBIT for Canadian residents as a banking option. I prefer that method to giving out my credit card number.

4. To the new PTC CEO...become a PA member and join in the discussions.

5. Add the rebates onto one's account after each bet. I know this is a very minor issue, but I noticed the odd, offshore racebook does this, and that proves the technology exists for this kind of thing.

T2W
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~"Persons with mediocre accomplishments are quick to explain why they haven't, why they don't, why they can't, and why they aren't."

--David J. Schwartz Ph.D.

[RichieP]

Get Evangeline Downs contract signed.There is still 4+ months left in meet

[trying2win]

C'mon PTC, if BET AMERICA.COM can get EMERALD DOWNS and HASTINGS PARK on their betting menu, surely you can too. As a matter of fact, BET AMERICA.COM (another North Dakota based ADW, is getting ahead of PTC in seveal areas. So, here's some more advice PTC, check what the competition is doing. Don't envy them...emulate them.

To be fair, PTC is still ahead of BET AMERICA.COM in several areas as far as I know, such as conditional wagering, betting reports, and better overall rebates, but it still doesn't hurt to be creative to keep improving to meet or exceed the competition. But, if PTC management says we can't afford any more improvements right now...I say you don't have a money problem, you have an idea problem.

T2W
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~""You can observe a lot just by watching."

--Yogi Berra

[Ted Craven]

Extend the $100/month additional rebate for RDSS users with $3000/month handle past the interim trial end-date of June 30, 2009 :jump: (I'm pedaling as fast as I can, but that's probably overbetting my current bankroll or time availablility...)

Ted

[trying2win]

I just got an email from customer service at PTC stating they will be offering wagering on HOLLYWOOD PARK, CALDER and EMERALD DOWNS this week. See, they might have already took my suggestion about getting EMERALD DOWNS on their betting menu :D.

T2W

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~"Knowing is not enough; me must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."

--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

[rokitman]

Extend the $100/month additional rebate for RDSS users with $3000/month handle past the interim trial end-date of June 30, 2009 :jump: (I'm pedaling as fast as I can, but that's probably overbetting my current bankroll or time availablility...)

Ted
I am emailed them recently and asked if that was still going for HTR and received no answer.

[RichieP]

Extend the $100/month additional rebate for RDSS users with $3000/month handle past the interim trial end-date of June 30, 2009 :jump: (I'm pedaling as fast as I can, but that's probably over betting my current bankroll or time availability...)

Ted
Morning Ted,
Here are the races offered by PTC today that RDSS/Trackmaster has designated with RC (Race class) strength of 100 or higher. Better horses=sharper form=class

I am only showing the tracks/races that can be bet through Premier Turf Club ADW.

Starting on May 1st I am taking a run at busting the 3k a month betting threshold that kicks in an extra 100 bucks from PTC for RDSS users.

That is an extra 3% on top of the already pretty darn good rebates effectively cutting some track takes in HALF. That is serious paper

For your perusal http://paceandcap.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif
cd - 1.7.8.9.10
crc - 7.9.10
emd - 7
gg - 3.7.8
haw - 4.5.7.9
hol - 1.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10
ls - 9.10
prm - 6
tam - 10
tup - 4.5.6

[DRIVEWAY]

Why not extend the extra $100 rebate to all your customers? It seems that when you start giving special treatment to one group of customers, the other customers will begin looking elsewhere.

In fact, all those customers that have bet $3000 a month should demand their rebates of $100 retroactively.

[Ted Craven]

Why not extend the extra $100 rebate to all your customers? It seems that when you start giving special treatment to one group of customers, the other customers will begin looking elsewhere.

In fact, all those customers that have bet $3000 a month should demand their rebates of $100 retroactively.

I believe they consider it an inducement for a collection of (serious) users to either increase their handle or aggregate handle they currently spread over several ADWs. I think that was Ian's original reasoning in making the original offer a few years ago. Same rationale of course applies to any other group of software users enjoying the same offer (I think there were several).

I think larger handle users also get a negotiated rebate schedule (I could be wrong - others have told me their schedule differs from mine). I also presume the $100 extra relates to either new users or users who are not currently or recently wagering over $3000/month (again, an inducement).

But you could always ask :) (or sign up for RDSS...)

Ted

P.S. Go gett'em Richie!

[DRIVEWAY]

Extend the $100/month additional rebate for RDSS users with $3000/month handle past the interim trial end-date of June 30, 2009 :jump: (I'm pedaling as fast as I can, but that's probably overbetting my current bankroll or time availablility...)

Ted

SERIOUS user

Your pedalling something!

[titans1127]

If PTC had free video and replays I'd definitely sign up. Who needs rebates, I want to be able to see what I'm wagering on.

[Cangamble]

If PTC had free video and replays I'd definitely sign up. Who needs rebates, I want to be able to see what I'm wagering on.
Lets see, if you wager 1000 a month and you get a 5% rebate, you get $50 every month. How much does it cost to just subscribe to Youbet's video service a month?

[JimG]

1. NYRA Tracks.
2. Instant deposit for customers using ACH.
3. Video of tracks offered.

I am going to start using PTC more now that the track offerings seems pretty good (with the glaring exception of NYRA). Hopefully their customer service approaches what it was with Ian.

Jim

[BigJake]

Why couldn't PTC offer video as a service you pay for like Youbet does? I understand it cost money to provide that service and I would certainly rather keep the rebates rather than have video, but if I could pay them extra instead of having 6 different horse racing ADW accounts it seems like that would be better for me.

[startngate]

Why couldn't PTC offer video as a service you pay for like Youbet does? I understand it cost money to provide that service and I would certainly rather keep the rebates rather than have video, but if I could pay them extra instead of having 6 different horse racing ADW accounts it seems like that would be better for me.Even the big rebate shops, RGS and Elite, don't offer streaming video. From a business perspective, why would they if all of their customers are getting the video someplace else already? TVG and TrackNet charge the ADW's an extra 'access fee' for this very reason. They know ADW customers from their competitors are watching TVG and HRTV to bet.

For PTC to provide video, they would have to lower the rebates to protect themselves financially. Video is too expensive to provide for free in the rebate environment and is also very expensive for a small shop in general to provide. It would eat up profits too quickly, especially if they didn't calculate the bandwidth properly.

I would have to believe that YouBet has figured out the average user of video on their site probably costs them close to the $35 a month they are charging for unlimited video, and they are averaging it out over a huge customer base with a large yearly bandwidth purchase. PTC unfortunately doesn't have that luxury (they aren't that big and wouldn't be buying as much bandwidth) so I would guess at a minimum it would cost them that much to provide the service. I just don't see how PTC can absorb that kind of cost and maintain anything close to a decent rebate schedule.
Lets see, if you wager 1000 a month and you get a 5% rebate, you get $50 every month. How much does it cost to just subscribe to Youbet's video service a month?Good point for discussion.

YouBet has several plans available, from $2.50/day to $34.95 per month unlimited, and for $350 per month in wagering it's free. Or if you went with TwinSpires, you would just have to wager $100 per month for free video. So some combination of wagering at PTC and someplace where you can get video is going to be best from a return standpoint to the player (this assumes that you can't find the video for all the tracks you play online for free someplace else).

Your $50 PTC rebate turns in to $32.50 by betting $350 to get unlimited video at YouBet, or $45 for betting the $100 at TwinSpires. Of course if you only play one day a month, then the day rate at YB is a better deal. I'm sure there is a 'sweet spot' for everyone, and doing it this way would reduce the negative impact to the PTC rebates.

No matter how you look at it though, it's still effectively lowering your rebate.

Having said that, any rebate is better than none, so while it's a hassle to have more than one account to get all the services you might need to play I think it's a minor hassle in the grand scheme of things.

[Track Collector]

If PTC had free video and replays I'd definitely sign up. Who needs rebates, I want to be able to see what I'm wagering on.

YouBet has a video only plan (for unlimited viewing of any one track at a time) for around $157/year. (Not sure of the additional cost to include replays.) The decision of rebates vs. video varies according to the individual, however, one can have both, but it may not be with same ADW.

[CBedo]

If PTC had free video and replays I'd definitely sign up. Who needs rebates, I want to be able to see what I'm wagering on.
Why not get both? Use PTC for rebates, and then use another ADW (like Twinspires) to get video. You don't have to bet that much at TS to get video.

[Jeff P]

I would like to see a conditional wagering option that behaves the way a limit order to buy or sell stock does.

I'll try to explain...

Current conditional wagering acts like this... The player inputs the parameters of the conditional decision: amt, pool, horse #, min odds, and mtp.

At the point in time when the specified mtp arrives the interface makes a single decision: Are current odds at or above min odds specified by the player? If so, the interface places the bet. If not, the interface fails to place the bet and removes it from the que.

IMHO removes it from the que falls short of the goal.

I would LOVE to have the option to check a box labeled recheck every 15 seconds. When this box is checked the interface makes the FIRST Can I place the player's bet? evaluation at the specified mtp. If the bet can be placed, great, the interface places the bet. But if the bet can not be placed, instead of dropping the bet from the que, the interface keeps the bet in the que and rechecks every 15 seconds until the race goes off. If the odds change and the player's min odds condition is met before the race goes off - the interface places the bet for the player. If the min odds condition can not be met the interface drops the bet from the que ONLY after the race goes off.

The first ADW to offer this gets my business.



-jp

.

[cj]

I suggested this a while back but was told it couldn't be done. Of course, it can be done.

[rrbauer]

I suggested this a while back but was told it couldn't be done. Of course, it can be done.

The process is called "requeue"! That said, based on my experience with PTC since Ian is no longer involved, everything from simple communications to getting bugs fixed to getting enhancements built has taken a quantum leap backwards.

[dvlander]

I laud PTC for coming up with conditional betting but I finally quit using it with any ADW because it seems to always end up being Murphy's Law for me. I've had days where I've cited 9/2 at 0 MTP. The horse wins at 6.5 to 1 and it doesn't take the bet. The same day I had another 9/2 requirement that went off at 5/2 and lost and that bet was accepted. Now I use other JCapper criteria to guide my bet or no bet decision. Occasionally, I have to accept an odds-on horse but the overall results for me are better than by using conditional betting.

This isn't specifically a PTC criticism because it has happened with the others who copied that feature as well. Jeff's suggestion is spot on. It should accept the bet if the odds requirement is met from your designated MTP until the starting bell.

Otherwise, PTC works fine for me for what I use it for and the main criteria I look for is available tracks at rebates above 3%. For those tracks, they get my business.

Sincerely, Dale

[chickenhead]

likewise, attempt to cancel the bet if after it is placed the odds subsequently drop below your original threshold. Call it a tight limit sell order placed right below your limit buy.

[ezrabrooks]

likewise, attempt to cancel the bet if after it is placed the odds subsequently drop below your original threshold. Call it a tight limit sell order placed right below your limit buy.

It is a pari-mutual system, you have to have a cut off some where....buy/sell at 0 mtp, you would create a yo yo effect, with nobody having any idea what the final odds would be.

Ez

[chickenhead]

You can cancel bets already -- this is not a new feature. It's just allowing you to set a rule based on it, rather than doing it manually.

[ezrabrooks]

You can cancel bets already -- this is not a new feature. It's just allowing you to set a rule based on it, rather than doing it manually.

Since the tote board is nearly obsolete..all bets made should be 'conditional'... Just a blank tote until the bell rings..and then it lights up with final odds.

Ez

[Cangamble]

Since the tote board is nearly obsolete..all bets made should be 'conditional'... Just a blank tote until the bell rings..and then it lights up with final odds.

Ez
I'm not a fan of canceling bets for that reason. It is gives one an unfair advantage, and it ruins pool integrity.

[ezrabrooks]

CG, I agree with you...but, since when did fairness in the current pari-mutual system become of any concern?

Ez

[chickenhead]

Since the tote board is nearly obsolete..all bets made should be 'conditional'... Just a blank tote until the bell rings..and then it lights up with final odds.

Ez

a betting exchange would seem to handle all of these problems quite nicely. I agree, let's kill the tote board!

[PaceAdvantage]

I would LOVE to have the option to check a box labeled recheck every 15 seconds. When this box is checked the interface makes the FIRST Can I place the player's bet? evaluation at the specified mtp. If the bet can be placed, great, the interface places the bet. But if the bet can not be placed, instead of dropping the bet from the que, the interface keeps the bet in the que and rechecks every 15 seconds until the race goes off. If the odds change and the player's min odds condition is met before the race goes off - the interface places the bet for the player. If the min odds condition can not be met the interface drops the bet from the que ONLY after the race goes off.

The first ADW to offer this gets my business.



-jp

.This is how my little program works...once the mtp threshold is reached, it checks the odds every 15 seconds to see if they are high enough to place the bet...keeps doing this until the race is official in fact...:lol:

[cj]

This is how my little program works...once the mtp threshold is reached, it checks the odds every 15 seconds to see if they are high enough to place the bet...keeps doing this until the race is official in fact...:lol:

See, I knew it COULD be done. :)

[dvlander]

I think these have been mentioned before and the fact they do not exist is probably more the fault of tracks than the ADW:

- Make a conditional bet that is "turf only". If the race switches to the main track due to weather etc., the wager is a no-go.

- Be able to pinpoint a single part of an entry so if your choice scratches, you are not stuck with the other entry horse.

Thx, Dale