RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Phantom

TAB website down for maintenance

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Logged into the TAB website this morning and was greeted with the following notice:

Sorry for the inconvenience but we are currently running some scheduled system maintenance .We will do our very best to complete this work and have you back in the game by 8:00am

Thanks, 

The TAB Team

To be fair these happen at every website but given the amount of $ these clowns spent on this new platform you would expect it to be purring like a Rolls-Royce, making you coffee and asking how you would like your eggs. 

I still would love to see a breakdown of where/how the TAB spent this $40-50 million. i.e. which firms were paid and for exactly which services. Maybe one of the hundreds of the Petone leeches who clog up Racecafe's bandwidth could provide this information. 

Because, as someone who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, I find it hard to believe the costs of a new platform could be anywhere near the figures being bandied around, let alone this one which is basically a piece of shit. 

There is plenty of evidence to suggest far from the rosy forecast of turnover and income increase Allen predicted would happen, that in fact both are down in both racing and sports, I suspect drastically in the latter.

When they first launched the new platform., they did so with massive limits and very competitive percentages. Both have now been cut back to such crippling levels that far from being competitive, the TAB's offering is actually embarrassing.

They have cut back percentages to obscene levels. Yesterday I saw some corner markets on football matches where the TAB was offering 1.80 and 1.83 for two way options. Before the new platform those prices would have been 1.87/1.87 at worst, and once it was launched 1.90/1.90. Now these have been cut back so dramatically it's basically hardly worth offering.

Have the NZRB released any new figures regarding turnover/hold since the new platform was launched? If so what is the over/under of how long Allen will last? This new platform, like RFL, was his baby, and thus far his tenure has made Bonking Bayliss look like a superstar. At least he got something for the $$$ he wasted, and didn't borrow a shit ton of money to build the worst website on the planet. 

 

 

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With technology there have always been huge successes along with huge failures. That can be understandable. Allowing for the fact John Allen and the rest of the board would struggle to turn a computer on they still should have never have entered the OPnBet/PaddyP deal based on the figures versus risk info and options available. 

I get back to what the CEO of Betfair said several years ago. "we are not a wagering company we are a software company." That means in this day and age the structure and makeup of the old TAB & Racing Board no longer is relevant. More IT skills and experience at the entrepreneurial level are required  e.g. someone like Derek Handley who the TAB turned away when he was 21.

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What is frustrating me more right now is the speed, sometimes it moves at the speed of a constipated sloth    Especially if you have missed a race and go back to get a result,  it just  goes around and around in circles and you have to retry later.  Not just this computer, as have tried it on others for same result.  Along with info that should be there that isn't and the most protracted way of having to do what should be as uncomplicated as possible,  I'm more than ever convinced it was developed by Monty Python's legendary  "   Village Idiot "

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From what I know and from joining a few dots together:

Some time ago the 'bright sparks' decided that the new site format should give punters only what they perceived to be the critical information needed to make a decision of which horse to bet on. They wanted to streamline the information provided so chose to implement a style more akin to the KISS style which works in some situations, but IMO, not on a TAB site.

Punters, even the Joe Average's, tend to have their own 'systems' & they religiously stick to them, be they based on recent form, breeding, horses for courses, barrier draws, speed maps, gear changes, a combination of factors, etc. etc.. Many also want to know the prize-money, ownership etc. too. The 'picture' needs to be a complete one. The site also needs to react quickly once the punter decides how their precious dollars are going to be invested. To many clicks and lagging are a certain way to send punters to the overseas opposition, or to make them keep their money in their wallets in protest.

Making it difficult to find & use any of the above (and a few more I've probably missed), all of which were easily viewed or used on the old site, was pure folly. To put a label on it one could call it "How to alienate your current customer base 101'. If it was working in a way that encouraged a new generation of punters into the game, then I would be willing to forgive some of the things that frustrate the hell out of me, but it fails here too. Then, the industry leaders have the gall to deny there are major issues, preferring to promote ' fairy tales' instead!   Wow, they are seemingly intent to just keep on insulting Kiwi punters, spending to fix the stuff that should have been available & working at the launch, and to spin the line that the obscenely huge initial spend on the site is good value is truly beyond belief.

Some fixes have been made since the inception, but at what extra cost? I am no expert in the IT field but I suspect that getting the base platform right from day one is critical to the success or otherwise of a site. A few tweaks will always be needed, but the scale of changes needed here are signs of a disaster being covered up.

Unfortunately, what we have is a 'dog', cosmetically applying fixes might make it a 'prettier, marginally more user-friendly dog' over time, but it will never fix the underlying deficiencies.

Rome's burning fiercely!

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1 hour ago, Sobeit said:

From what I know and from joining a few dots together:

Some time ago the 'bright sparks' decided that the new site format should give punters only what they perceived to be the critical information needed to make a decision of which horse to bet on. They wanted to streamline the information provided so chose to implement a style more akin to the KISS style which works in some situations, but IMO, not on a TAB site.

Punters, even the Joe Average's, tend to have their own 'systems' & they religiously stick to them, be they based on recent form, breeding, horses for courses, barrier draws, speed maps, gear changes, a combination of factors, etc. etc.. Many also want to know the prize-money, ownership etc. too. The 'picture' needs to be a complete one. The site also needs to react quickly once the punter decides how their precious dollars are going to be invested. To many clicks and lagging are a certain way to send punters to the overseas opposition, or to make them keep their money in their wallets in protest.

Making it difficult to find & use any of the above (and a few more I've probably missed), all of which were easily viewed or used on the old site, was pure folly. To put a label on it one could call it "How to alienate your current customer base 101'. If it was working in a way that encouraged a new generation of punters into the game, then I would be willing to forgive some of the things that frustrate the hell out of me, but it fails here too. Then, the industry leaders have the gall to deny there are major issues, preferring to promote ' fairy tales' instead!   Wow, they are seemingly intent to just keep on insulting Kiwi punters, spending to fix the stuff that should have been available & working at the launch, and to spin the line that the obscenely huge initial spend on the site is good value is truly beyond belief.

Some fixes have been made since the inception, but at what extra cost? I am no expert in the IT field but I suspect that getting the base platform right from day one is critical to the success or otherwise of a site. A few tweaks will always be needed, but the scale of changes needed here are signs of a disaster being covered up.

Unfortunately, what we have is a 'dog', cosmetically applying fixes might make it a 'prettier, marginally more user-friendly dog' over time, but it will never fix the underlying deficiencies.

Rome's burning fiercely!

You can put Lipstick on a pig Sobeit.....but it's still a pig....:rolleyes:

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F'ing needs more than maintenance.....  Tried to put 200/200 on my horse today at Hamilton in Victoria... The slack ar..es  wouldn't take the bet... What???. 26/1... Took 100/100....Have in the mean time organised a couple of Australian  sites that will take my money....   As it happens horse not in the money. BUT Who's running MY industry....   My future here is becoming very limited as I have bred here ,  raced here for over 40 years and now they could'nt give a f...   Oh by the way, I have a business that exports horses to a country not far away ( Australia) who  run maiden races for up to 35k which is almost listed races here... Come and talk as we are not far away , and I have  trainers just awaiting  reasonable  Kiwi horses......  collair20@gmail.com     Training is not that more in Australia and the rewards are much greater...... You can keep the books balanced but here unless your'e  in the top 5% no chance.....

Beecee.

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1 hour ago, Beecee said:

F'ing needs more than maintenance.....  Tried to put 200/200 on my horse today at Hamilton in Victoria... The slack ar..es  wouldn't take the bet... What???. 26/1... Took 100/100....Have in the mean time organised a couple of Australian  sites that will take my money....   As it happens horse not in the money. BUT Who's running MY industry....   My future here is becoming very limited as I have bred here ,  raced here for over 40 years and now they could'nt give a f...   Oh by the way, I have a business that exports horses to a country not far away ( Australia) who  run maiden races for up to 35k which is almost listed races here... Come and talk as we are not far away , and I have  trainers just awaiting  reasonable  Kiwi horses......  collair20@gmail.com     Training is not that more in Australia and the rewards are much greater...... You can keep the books balanced but here unless your'e  in the top 5% no chance.....

Beecee.

Great Post! Sums up the attitude of the industry leaders across all the organisations! :rcf-angry-2:

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21 hours ago, slam dunk said:

With technology there have always been huge successes along with huge failures. That can be understandable. Allowing for the fact John Allen and the rest of the board would struggle to turn a computer on they still should have never have entered the OPnBet/PaddyP deal based on the figures versus risk info and options available. 

I get back to what the CEO of Betfair said several years ago. "we are not a wagering company we are a software company." That means in this day and age the structure and makeup of the old TAB & Racing Board no longer is relevant. More IT skills and experience at the entrepreneurial level are required  e.g. someone like Derek Handley who the TAB turned away when he was 21.

Derek Handley is totally over rated. Don't believe the press.

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Hi all for what its worth With old site I would take about 30 to 40 sports bets on weekend a lot of NRL bit of rugby  and most probably the same in horse racing if not more love jockey challenge.Thats all come to a screaming halt on this turkey of a web site .Still have a couple of NRL bets and horses but its such a tedious  and bloody for ever clicking buffering scrolling you give up.

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5 hours ago, Berri said:

Derek Handley is totally over rated. Don't believe the press.

Well he had the foresight to launch Feverpitch before even Betfair got fully going. Just need the TAB to support it and could have been another Betfair.

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Here's a bit of balance to the discussion.

Lack of content is a problem, no question some basic stuff like barriers and jockeys have to be on the race front page. Stake of the race must be added. However these are teething issues that should be fixed by now?

But balancing speed vs content presentation to the user given the number of different devices being used would be a tech challenge. Now that my browser history is clear and not causing a hang (thank you Barry for the tip), it all works fine.  I know how to and have no difficulty putting on a win, place ,each way, fixed odds, tote, Place6, etc.  Wasn't hard to work out.

If slow is your problem, maybe your internet connection or an out of date device?

Overall however, $50m is a joke for a website, even one sold as a "betting platform". The true test will come on Melbourne Cup day - weight stops a train.

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23 hours ago, Beecee said:

F'ing needs more than maintenance.....  Tried to put 200/200 on my horse today at Hamilton in Victoria... The slack ar..es  wouldn't take the bet... What???. 26/1... Took 100/100....Have in the mean time organised a couple of Australian  sites that will take my money....   As it happens horse not in the money. BUT Who's running MY industry....   My future here is becoming very limited as I have bred here ,  raced here for over 40 years and now they could'nt give a f...   Oh by the way, I have a business that exports horses to a country not far away ( Australia) who  run maiden races for up to 35k which is almost listed races here... Come and talk as we are not far away , and I have  trainers just awaiting  reasonable  Kiwi horses......  collair20@gmail.com     Training is not that more in Australia and the rewards are much greater...... You can keep the books balanced but here unless your'e  in the top 5% no chance.....

Beecee.

They have less confidence in Enzo's Lad than Ladbrokes UK. 33s both RA races Ladbrokes,  51s and 101 here . Wonder what the limit would be at 101 , a tenner ?

 

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5 hours ago, dbtab said:

My biggest grievance is they dropped the trainers and jockey index so you have to scroll through every race to find the information

 

 

Your right but if you go to expand all on the upper right of the race clic k again on trainer or jockey there rides or horses will come up. Just another brilliant set up as long as your finger and patience can handle it .Try doing jockey challenge today for up dates 6 clicks go to  www.jockey-challenge.com 1 click hope that helps

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On 5/29/2019 at 6:53 PM, slam dunk said:

Well he had the foresight to launch Feverpitch before even Betfair got fully going. Just need the TAB to support it and could have been another Betfair.

Utter fucking rubbish. I had dinner with Bert Black 4 years before Feverpitch was even mentioned. After taking all evening and finding out I couldn't be an investor in Betfair (who incidentally are shareholders in RLL) I suggested to the TAB they make an exchange. The late Jock Irvine asked me to look at Feverpitch and it was a crock of shit. Don't feed fake news into this site.

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