"Why Can't a Professional Punter Get a Bet On?"

Recorded September 2025 for The Bookies That Still Let Me Bet. Any figures mentioned are from that time.

I struggled to do the thing I love doing, which is betting. I wanted to back Gangster Granny at around $3.50 and $3.60. I wanted 15 or 20,000 on her. I got on for a few hundred dollars. That is the reality of trying to bet early in this country, and it is worth explaining why, because a lot of people put a lot of work into the form and then find they cannot use it.

What actually happened when I tried to get on

Three bookmakers would take a bet from me early. TAB, Ladbrokes and Sportsbet. All three bet me to win $2,000, which at that price is about $800 each. So I had $800 on, $800 on and $800 on. That is it. Every other bookmaker would not lay me a cent until 9am on the day of the race, because that is when the minimum bet rule starts in New South Wales on a Saturday.

You could see the market moving while this was going on. Ladbrokes opened her up, she came in, went out again, came in again, and they left her there. They clearly did not want to be laying her. That is their call. But the market was up, the money was moving, and I was locked out of it.

The nine o'clock rule starts too late

There are people doing serious form work. There are podcasts and shows where people go deep into races, share what they find, try to inform punters and try to beat the bookies. That work is done well before 9am on race morning. Then you sit there with an opinion you have worked hard for and you cannot back it.

Bookmakers put the markets up. If they are open for business and framing a price, they should be open to taking a bet. Abolish the 9am race day rule and let people bet when the market goes up. That is all I am asking for.

Compare it to the ring thirty years ago

When I was going to the track thirty years ago, bookmakers in the outer were betting to win 3,000. Some of them were betting to win 50,000. Dave McHugh, my brother Sean, Glenn Pollitt, Trevor Stuckey, all of them out in the outer, standing there with their own money, laying those sorts of bets.

Now you have Sportsbet, TAB, Ladbrokes, Unibet and everyone else. Big businesses turning over enormous amounts of money. And they are betting to win $2,000 on group races, including ten minutes before the jump. That does not add up to me. For group races it should be lifted to at least 5,000 so punters can actually get on.

What to do with it

Know the rules where you bet, and know which bookmakers will take an early bet from you, because it is a small list. Hats off to TAB, Ladbrokes and Sportsbet for laying me something before 9am. If there are other bookmakers willing to bet early, I would like to hear from them. And if you agree the rule should start earlier and the limits should be higher, say so, because nothing changes while punters stay quiet.

Every race on the card, rated, with Kingsley's selections and the speed maps behind them. Your first day is free, no card needed.

More from Kingsley

• Why Is a Horse's Best Run Sometimes at the Wrong Distance?
• "If My Horse Wins, What Runs Second and Third?"
• How to Budget Your Betting Across a Big Carnival Week

From the full video: The Bookies That Still Let Me Bet | Max Bet Ep 7

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