Twinspires sets min.$$ bet for video feed

[BombsAway Bob]

I'm Playing the Mountain tonite thru my Twinspires Acct., & watching the races on TVG. 10PM rolls around, & "The Shield" is starting. I click on the video icon for Mountaineers' track feed at Twinspires, since I'm not interested in the slick new "BETA TWINSPIRES OTB THEATRE", & I get a message telling me I have to reach certain minimum bets levels for the past 5 days, 90 days, or 360 days to watch the track I'm betting on! Unfortunately, because of the state I live in, I can't bet the tracks I play most thru them. I sent them the following E-mail. Sarcasm? Nah!
------
To: TwinSpires Management~
I can't bet Suffolk, Turfway, Keeneland, Los AL, So.Cal. tracks, Churchill or Calder thru my Twinspires Account,
& You tell me I don't bet enough to watch races on the few tracks I am able to bet on???
Sorry, Australia & Plainridge aren't my bag. I bet horses 7 days a week, & will bet thru Twinspires,
if given the opportunity to on decent tracks, as I have in the past.
I had over 12,000TSC points wagering on Chuchill Tracks thru TVG in 15 months
before you two stopped doing business together.
So Now I can no longer WATCH the races I'm betting on until I reach a "Bet Minimium?"
I now have to Bet $50 blind before I can watch my bets?
Maybe I can pick up a radio call on Mountaineer...or watch just TVG...
(HRTV on Comcast? Why,who uses Comcast?)
You debut a cool new format for simulcasting track signals, then restrict it's usage...
the economy's tanking, along with racing stocks,
and you decide to make it more difficult for the casual bettor to get in the game.
Beautiful!
Please Reconsider - Sincerely confused , Bob Grant

[JustRalph]

what the hell is next?

[BillW]

AmericaTAB had minimums too, but they did have access to all tracks. Ahhh the good ole days

[cj]

It makes no sense for them not to be able to let you watch any race you have bet on.

[BombsAway Bob]

Mr. Grant,

When a day comes that you know you will be wagering, please call us at customer service and we can give your account a video override for that day, so that you can see the races. If you are not seeing a specific message telling you that you have not wagered enough, the problem is technical rather than your wagering amounts. Make sure you have all pop up blockers disabled on your system, because they will block video access.

Thank you,

Nancy

[Hosshead]

New TwinSpires Minimum Betting Requirements for Live Video AND Replays :

"Video streaming will be available for those account holders who have wagered:"

1) A minimum of $50 in the last 5 days you have accessed the video system or,

2) A minimum of $50 during the last 5 calendar days or,

3) A minimum of $100 wagered during the previous 30 calendar days or,

4) A minimum of $600 wagered during the previous 90 calendar days or,

5) A minimum of $5,000 during the previous 360 calendar days.

[Tom]

See, there is hope for morons everywhere to find gainful employment.
Twin Sires has hired a lot of them. Like "Nancy."

Hey, babe, what about the rest of your customers? Bimbo!

[RichieP]

Originally Posted by BombsAway Bob

I'm Playing the Mountain tonite thru my Twinspires Acct.

If you get jammed up in the future you can grab Mnr feed from here
http://espn.go.com/horse/liveracing07.html

[startngate]

Those minimums have been in place since the AmericaTab days as BillW mentioned, so I don't see this as anything new.

You can always sign up for a YouBet or TVG account .... sorry, I forgot ... they have higher charges than TwinSpires, and you still have the lack of content problem. Or how about an account with PTC? Wait, they don't even offer streaming video at all.

In this case, TS is only asking a customer to average wagering $10 each day they watch the video. IMO, I'd rather see this then be forced to pay to make a wager, or be forced to have a subscription for streaming video and race replays that I rarely watch. Every ADW deals with pricing vs. service offered in a different way, so all you can do is pick one that comes close to fitting what you need.

There's a lot I don't agree with on the TS/XB/TrackNet side of what's going on in the ADW world today, but I can't fault them (or any ADW) for actually expecting me to make the occassional wager as a part of making use of the service they provide.

Originally Posted by Tom

See, there is hope for morons everywhere to find gainful employment.

Twin Sires has hired a lot of them. Like "Nancy."

Hey, babe, what about the rest of your customers? Bimbo!

Uh, just exactly how does Nancy qualify as a 'moron' and a 'bimbo' in this case?

I doubt she made the decision on the video restrictions, and she offered to over-ride them so the OP could watch what he wanted to wager on. At least in this case it sounds like she was trying to help get the customer what he wanted. She may have done other dumb things in the past, but that doesn't seem to be the case here, IMO.

[alydar]

Originally Posted by startngate

Those minimums have been in place since the AmericaTab days as BillW mentioned, so I don't see this as anything new.

You can always sign up for a YouBet or TVG account .... sorry, I forgot ... they have higher charges than TwinSpires, and you still have the lack of content problem. Or how about an account with PTC? Wait, they don't even offer streaming video at all.

In this case, TS is only asking a customer to average wagering $10 each day they watch the video. IMO, I'd rather see this then be forced to pay to make a wager, or be forced to have a subscription for streaming video and race replays that I rarely watch. Every ADW deals with pricing vs. service offered in a different way, so all you can do is pick one that comes close to fitting what you need.

There's a lot I don't agree with on the TS/XB/TrackNet side of what's going on in the ADW world today, but I can't fault them (or any ADW) for actually expecting me to make the occassional wager as a part of making use of the service they provide.

Uh, just exactly how does Nancy qualify as a 'moron' and a 'bimbo' in this case?

I doubt she made the decision on the video restrictions, and she offered to over-ride them so the OP could watch what he wanted to wager on. At least in this case it sounds like she was trying to help get the customer what he wanted. She may have done other dumb things in the past, but that doesn't seem to be the case here, IMO.

Well put.

While I am unhappy with many of the recent developments with ADW's, I don't see the problem here.

[Tom]

Is she going to do that for all customers? If so, why have the damn rule to begin with?

If not, I stand by my comments, and in any event, if she is speaking for them, she is one of them.

[BUD]

When I was well and gainfully employed with the Sheriff's Dept I was a Pro Union guy......

With all this stuff the goes on with respect to horse racing I can not believe the group HANA that was birthed here does not have like 1,500 members plus already.
As I would say at Union meetings, divided they will eat us for lunch but together we WILL get what WE DESERVE....

I hope we can fix this stuff....I actually really like this game....It seems the powers that be don't.

[startngate]

Originally Posted by Tom

Is she going to do that for all customers? If so, why have the damn rule to begin with?

My guess is yes, she would. I'm also pretty sure she'd say no if the OP started calling up every day and asking for the over-ride without betting.

Either way, she tried to help the OP, and you called her a 'moron' and a 'bimbo' for her troubles. If she had said 'sorry for your luck' then I could understand your attitude, but that's not what happened here.

Originally Posted by Tom

If not, I stand by my comments, and in any event, if she is speaking for them, she is one of them.

No she's not 'one of them' even assuming that was really an evil thing to begin with. The woman appears to just be a customer service rep, lowest rung on the corporate ladder. I'll bet she never even knew the policy was being discussed, much less had any input in the matter.

[BUD]

I have had respectful experience with the Twin Spire reps....Minus Kentucky Derby Day.......That was understandable........When The site went down everyone and their Grand Mother called...

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Tom

See, there is hope for morons everywhere to find gainful employment.
Twin Sires has hired a lot of them. Like "Nancy."

Hey, babe, what about the rest of your customers? Bimbo!

For the record, I have spoken to Nancy multiple times, she is a manager, and she is a very nice lady and has taken care of anything I have ever asked of her.