Success Stories
Success With Read!
If you want the edge over your competitor, more customers in you TAB and want to make it easier for them to win, the READ RATING service will help you deliver the above.
It is more that co-incidental that the hotels, clubs and TAB’s in Australia using the READ RATING and/or RACEPACK information systems keep winning awards.
Read Rating delivers Australia’s foremost race analysis and rating system – including information on greyhounds – while RacePack screens provide the most relevant information in an easy-to-read format.
The following customers describe how they won when they installed our sytems in their premises – big and small.
Sporting Life - The Age November 2001
It’s become a bit of a trait of ours, having a gentle dig at the so-called racing “experts” for their seemingly combined inability to come up trumps when it really matters, and that’s tip us the Melbourne Cup. Alas, begrudgingly, we have to concede this year that three members of the Melbourne daily press, among them The Age’s Shelley Hancox, tipped Ethereal on top, Shelley even picking the eventual third placegetter Persian Punch in her trifecta.
But as far as “experts” go, we reckon Darwin-based bookmaker Mark Read deserves a special mention today because on his website ozeform.com, and his distributed newsletter Read’s Ratings, he not only tipped the winner but chillingly forecast the minor placings would be between two of the three United Kingdom Imports, Persian Punch, Give The Slip (which ran second) and Marienbard (which wasn’t far behind in seventh spot).
Mind you, it’s no good having all this information if you don’t actually go out and make some money out of it – and that’s where the good folk at, and frequent, the Caloundra RSL in Queensland come in. In the lead-up to the cup these self-confessed fans of Read’s racing service had a $10 whiparound and used most of their pool of $5200 to combine the four horses in a cup trifecta and ended up striking it 21 times for a total collect of $130,800. “Yeah, and we almost won another $300,000 on the First Four (a Queensland-only service),” the club’s marketing manager, Jim Darcy, said yesterday. “We had first to seventh correct, except the fourth, so just missed out on having an enormous day. But we’re still very happy. Mark Read is much respected up this way. This cup result will make him even more so.”
Suits our needs
Dear Albert,
Just a quick note to let you know how pleased we are with the increase in TAB turnover since the introduction of Race Pack and Read Rating.
Our turnover immediately increased by 25% with “normal” weeks being turned into “Melbourne Cup” weeks. Melbourne Cup week was exceptional, with the days Melbourne Cup turnover equal to our beast weekly turnover since the introduction of your service. We note that Read Rating selected the Melbourne Cup winner, quinella and trifecta, with two trifecta winners in the Hotel collecting $2,600 each – certainly a talking point. Unfortunately I was too busy to have a bet and take advantage!!!
The five Race Pack screens and one Read Rating screens suit our needs well, however in hindsight it would have been better to have an additional dedicated messaging screen for our in house messages. As discussed, we will soon have this available, thanks to the assistance of your technicians.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Bond
Manager
Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel
Greg Voted Tops In Australia
Our first South Australian Read Rating/Racepack customer, Greg Fahey, has been honoured by winning the best Sporting Entertainment venue in South Australia for 2003, with his Hampstead Hotel at Collinswood.
He first installed Read Rating and Racepack at his Paradise Hotel in 1998, and in his own words “hasn’t looked back since”.
Such was the positive customer reaction after the systems were shown at the Paradise Hotel that Greg has also added the service to the Lakes Resort Hotel and then the Hampstead Hotel.
Greg’s other major AHA award was in 2000 Australian AHA Award for the Best Sporting Entertainment Venue in Australia for his Fifth Quarter sports bar at the West Lakes, where Greg had installed 8 Racepack and Read Rating screens.
Recalling why he initially implemented Read Rating and Racepack, Greg said that on a visit to Queensland in early 1998, he noticed that all the successful TAB hotels had Read Rating installed.
“At the time the Paradise Hotel was averaging TAB turnover of about $30,000 a week, which I thought was about the maximum we could expect.
“After the second week we were overwhelmed by punters coming to the hotel from all over Adelaide, to the point that we quickly doubled our turnover.”
Greg said that hoteliers have to continually find new ways to gain a competitive edge in the ever-expanding entertainment market.
“Giving something extra to make your product more attractive is vital if hoteliers are to keep pace with this market particularly with the burgeoning sports bar trends,” Greg said.
“That’s why we first installed Read Rating and Racepack. It was innovative, it was a service that our racing customers wanted, and finally, it produces results.’
“It is a win-win situation all round. The customers are happy because of the information and the success of the Ratings, and we are happy because it has increased our turnover and customer interest.
“Customers come to our premises to relax and socialise, and having a bet on the races can be a major part of this process for may people.
“Now we have the products to satisfy their wishes, and you can only be a successful venue and win awards such as that scored by the Fifth Quarter bar and by the Hampstead being a popular venue. And all that comes back to keeping the customers happy.”
No Wonder They’re Still Celebrating At The Parkwood
It may be the 8th birthday for the Parkwood Tavern next week – but patrons have been celebrating there on a regular basis for the last five years. In fact, they have been on a winning streak since 1997. That’s when owner Bruce Donnachy introduced the revolutionary racing information services, RacePack and Read Rating.
The Parkwood installed both products to assist customers with information and betting strategies – and it has certainly paid dividends.
Michael Evans, manager at the Parkwood, says his customers have been the big winners.
“We are all about Customer Service at the Parkwood, and knowing our customers want the very best in information, without doubt, they come here for RacePack and the Read Rating service.
“We want them to walk away winners every day, “Michael says.
Managers Michael Evans/Trevor Smith say they was delighted with the customer response and looking forward to many more celebrations.
Profiling The Managers
Arthur Tye has been Secretary Manager of the Maroochydore RSL – the showpiece Read Rating venue Club on the Sunshine Coast for 12 years. The club recently won the 2003 BEST QLD CLUB TAB OPERATION, a visit shows you why.
While he admits that racing is not among his favourite sports, he has not let his personal judgement when it comes to looking after his patrons, who enjoy a bet at the newly renovated TAB at Maroochydore RSL.
“I am interested in bottom line results and after introducing Read Rating and RacePack, our turnover grew by 15% to 20%,” Arthur said.
“The system not only supplies up to date information, it generates the atmosphere that would normally be found by being at the track.
“While the increase in turnover is welcome, it is the “spin off” from this increase that has had a dramatic effect on the business. The result has not just been an increase in TAB patronage, but an increase in our bar, food and gaming revenue.
“While Saturday has improved, it has been the increased turnover experienced during the normally quiet days such as Monday, Tuesday and some of the midweek night meetings, that has had the most dramatic effect.
“I must confess that at first I was reluctant to install the system, my regret now is that we did not install it sooner.”
Terry Rates Us Tops In His Winning Hotel Formula
When you’re on a good thing, stick to it!
That has been the winning motto for Terry Morrow who has been in the hotel game for about 20 years. He’s worked in pubs in Sydney, Alice Springs and the Darling Downs before heading to Brisbane. His first venture in the Queensland capital was at the Australian National Hotel opposite the “Gabba” which under his astute management was transformed from an “average” PubTAB to the best in the State, winning an AHA award for best PubTAB in Queensland. It also became the benchmark for other PubTABs in the State. And Terry is adamant that Racepack and Read Rating have played a big part in that success.
Being a keen racing devotee – he was a partner in dual Eyeliner Stakes placegetter Clickety – Terry knows the value of keeping his customers happy and occupied when they look at the races on Sky.
Our first Read Rating customer in Queensland, Terry introduced the service after reading about it in a magazine.
“I was impressed by what was offered, so I rang Mark Read to find out more,” Terry said. “The service helped us grow from just an average TAB to one of the biggest turnover outlets in the State.”
“It’s all to do with servicing customer. It was a new opportunity for them to get information to back winners and they just loved it. It was just sensational”.
The service was installed by Terry in 1993 – and at that stage the Racepack service was in development stage. To assist his customers Terry decided to produce scribble pads so that customers could write down the Read Rating selections and compare the odds.
“We used to print 1,000 pads at a time and leave them in the bar. Customers would pick them up, write down the selections and odds and start poring over the information on the screens. At first they would talk among themselves about the selections being three points over the tote odds etc., and then look at the results. They started to take things more seriously on seeing the winners the system produced”, terry said. Such was the interest that customers began a Punters Club at the hotel, spending around $1,100 each Saturday.
“Mainly they would take the ‘overs’ on Quinellas and Trifectas. It proved extremely popular with the customers and there is no doubt they finished well ahead over five years”, Terry said.
Once Racepack was introduced it was not necessary for the punters to use their scribble pads as they could see the information on the screen, but it did not dent their enthusiasm.
On leaving the Australian National, Terry has expanded his hotel interests with the Landsborough Hotel at Landsborough.
Naturally, Racepack and Read Rating are following. Its popularity is continuing with patrons at the Gem, and it is an integral part of the Landsborough Hotel TAB set up. “The service is a winner. Not only does it provide good information it also stirs interest in racing among my patrons.”
“One of my customers, who is a very keen punter, said he had never seen any other method which produced winners so consistently”, Terry said.
As we said at the outset – Terry knows when he’s on a winner and he’s not changing course now!