Britbet issues apology over Lingfield non-runner error

Britbet and the Tote have vowed to ensure that similar errors aren’t made in the future after the favourite in the last race at Lingfield on New Year’s Eve was marked as a non-runner on Tote screens at the course.

The mistake came after well backed sprinter Stopdworldnletmeof was double declared at the meeting, therefore withdrew from an earlier race, however stayed in the running for the final meeting.

The implications of the error were exasperated as the 15/8 favourite finished second, frustrating many using the Tote at the course. Britbet opted to declare a dividend with the favourite paying £1.90 for the place.

Britbet Managing Director Nigel Roddis told The Racing Post: “There was an issue with the double declaration for the display system, though it did not affect any of the betting systems.

“I apologise to those affected as there was a degree of confusion and we will work to rectify the issue and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Britbet’s Tote presence was established after a seven-year agreement was reached between the Tote consortium and Britbet to significantly elevate pool betting in the UK.

The 55 racecourses that are part of Britbet will receive more than £50m over the course of the seven-year deal, allowing the Tote and Britbet to combine to offer a single pool on races run at these courses.

At the time of the launch, Neil Goulden, chairman of Britbet, also spoke of the breakthrough: “Our primary focus has been to ensure our 55 partner racecourses maximise the returns available through pool betting, and this has now been realised. We now look forward to working with the Tote consortium to deliver the innovation and investment that will allow pool betting to flourish and, in turn, serve the sport we love.

“The roll-out of our new technology across the 55 racecourses along with the operational control we have been exercising since 13 July remains central to the Britbet vision. This agreement now gives us scope to deliver an even richer experience for our racecourse customers.”