<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by longcut:
this whole issue is a blow to the credibility of the whole off-shore horse booking venture, to the book, and the better alike.Facts are facts, and "official" should hold true to bettor and acceptor of bets equally. Making rules as you go is only the luxary of law makers and politicians. If a bet is accepted, it should be honored. If foul play be involved, take it on the chin and make precautionary measures so it doesn't happen again. If you can care less about your reputation as an acceptor of bets, then deny the win. I am sure you will get whats coming to you in the long run. If you dope a horse, it wins, the somehow get away with it, then i'm sure you will also get your demise...eventually. The horse racing world is under constant scrutiny; some justified complaints, but mostly complaint by others that are reaching in the "excuse bag", the "back door runners" who use speculation to calculate conclusions that others in the same situation seem to find comforting. Dont be fooled, right or wrong, one will loose. It's a shame to see people willing to take money wagers from others be the same as to deny the victory based on unfounded speculation. I wish the story would come from "the horses mouth", a legitimate response would add value to this story that i find interesting, as well as disturbing. Being an avid race fan, i await your repies......<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have personally been on both sides of these fence. One one hand you have books crying of foul play, and one can certainly understand that they are pissed at having to pay out when a race is possibly fixed. On the other hand, you have the players foaming at the mouth for this kind of info. I have played plenty of steam horses in my day, and to be honest, have never really asked if the horse was doped or not. Someone simply said, go bet this horse, he cant lose, and i went out and hit it for all i could. As I have said earlier, i think it comes down to the books mitigating their exposure, and basically trying to cut off guys who only play steam horses. I was taught that if you take a bet, you have to pay. For example, if South florida is playing Drexel in college basketball, and South Florida's players are shaving points, do I tell everyone, including those who knew nothing of what was going on, that they are not getting paid because they bet on Drexel, and the game was fixed? Of course not. I really hate to say it, but these slime should be paid IMO no matter what the outcome.
