Expert Gambling Advice from Racing Press

The Racing Post has once again delivered its annual sermon on safe gambling, wheeling out its finest tipsters to preach the virtues of discipline, small stakes, and self-control. “Write your losses in blue ink,” they advise. “Treat gambling like a trip to the cinema,” they suggest. It’s all very worthy, but let’s call this what it is: a masterclass in missing the point.

For many punters, the reality is already far safer than the Post seems to realise. Not by choice, mind you, but thanks to restrictive betting limits that make it impossible to wager more than £5—or, for the sharp-eyed among us, a humiliating few pence.

So forgive us if the advice to keep our losses under control doesn’t hit the mark. Some of us have already been banned from losing, let alone winning. Instead of serving up platitudes, maybe the Post should take its own advice and “have a word with the sponsors” who fund this increasingly joyless industry.

Safe Gambling? Every Week Is Safe Gambling Week

Let’s not beat around the bush: Safe Gambling Week feels like a giant PR exercise designed to assuage guilt while ignoring the elephant in the room. Where’s the advice for punters who’ve been locked out of meaningful bets by an industry more interested in protecting its margins than its customers?

When you’re restricted to pennies on a 2/1 shot, every week is Safe Gambling Week. You couldn’t blow the rent money if you tried. And yet the bookmakers trot out their carefully worded slogans: “Gambling is not a means to make money.”

Oh, really? Then what’s the point? Shall we all embrace mug-punting, bet builders, and 20-leg accumulators instead? It’s almost as if the industry is nudging us towards the kind of high-margin nonsense that guarantees a steady profit for the house. The irony is staggering.

Here’s a radical idea: instead of a safe gambling week, how about an unrestricted gambling week? A week where punters are treated like grown-ups, allowed to bet what they like, and actually enjoy the thrill of the chase. Because right now, for too many, the fun has been sucked out of betting altogether.

Advice for Punters: Who’s It Really For?

The Racing Post’s advice feels increasingly detached from the realities of modern gambling. Sure, some of it is sensible—keep records, don’t chase losses, and don’t bet on sports you don’t understand. But is that what punters are paying £5 a day to read? Hardly.

The Post’s tipsters should be helping us make a living—or at least come out on top. Instead, they’ve turned into a cross between life coaches and nostalgia merchants. Graeme Rodway waxes lyrical about his morning stroll to the betting shop, extolling the virtues of real people and real bets. Lovely stuff, Graeme, but how does this help someone who’s already been restricted to 43p online?

And Tom Segal’s advice to treat betting like a trip to the cinema—fun, but not profitable—raises an uncomfortable question: if we’re not meant to take betting seriously, why are we paying £5 a day for the Racing Post? Platforms like Proform, RacehorseBase, and AtTheRaces offer serious punters the tools they need to compete, often at a fraction of the cost.

What Punters Really Want

Punters don’t buy the Racing Post to be told how to stop losing; they buy it to learn how to win. If the Post’s tipsters aren’t delivering actionable insights, what’s the point? Punters deserve:

• Sharp analysis: How to spot false favourites, value outsiders, and market moves worth following.

• Data-driven tools: Explanations of trends, sectional timings, and stats that actually impact outcomes.

• Strategy tips: Managing stakes, finding value, and understanding markets—not platitudes about self-control.

Bookmakers: From Risk-Takers to Risk-Avoiders

What the Racing Post and its sponsors don’t want to admit is that betting has fundamentally changed. Once upon a time, bookmakers embraced risk. They knew sharp punters would come along, beat the odds, and walk away with a profit. That was the game, and they played it with a straight bat.

Now? Winning is treated like a crime. Accounts are restricted at the first hint of competence, leaving punters unable to place meaningful bets. Those who dare to turn a profit are “accommodated” right out the door, with their maximum stakes slashed to pennies.

Luke Paton hit the nail on the head:

“How has the industry been allowed to get to this stage?”

When bookmakers stop taking risks, they stop being bookmakers. Instead, they become glorified casinos, pushing high-margin products like bet builders and accumulators while sidelining punters who understand the game.

A Lottery in Disguise

This is the crux of the issue: the industry has transformed betting into a lottery. Punters are encouraged to string together improbable outcomes, handing over their cash in the hope of a jackpot. The odds? Heavily stacked in the bookmaker’s favour.

As Luke Paton so aptly put it:

“Kill the aspiration, and the industry is no better than a glorified lottery product.”

The rise of bet builders epitomises this shift. They’re designed to look exciting, but in reality, they’re the equivalent of a slot machine—flashy, addictive, and almost impossible to win long-term.

Representation for Punters: Where Are You?

While bookmakers rake in profits, who’s standing up for the punters? The BHA? Silent. The Gambling Commission? A toothless regulator. The Racing Post? Too busy pandering to its sponsors to champion the people who actually buy their paper.

Even racing pundits, once the voice of the hardened punter, seem more interested in appealing to a naïve, casual audience. Gone are the days of fighting for fair treatment and competitive odds. Instead, they parrot the “entertainment” narrative, leaving serious punters to fend for themselves.

A Call for Fairness

Betting was built on the principle of shared risk. Punters took a chance; bookmakers took a chance. It was a fair fight. But that balance has been obliterated by an industry more concerned with protecting its margins than respecting its customers.

The Racing Post risks alienating its core audience—hardened punters willing to spend money on resources if it helps them win. By shifting focus to fluffy, "safe gambling" sermons, they’ve forgotten their primary purpose: to empower punters to beat the bookmakers.

So, while the Post’s tipsters are busy encouraging readers to "treat gambling as entertainment," the real winners are those turning to Proform, RacehorseBase, and AtTheRaces—platforms that still value the punter’s aspiration to succeed.

Fairness isn’t a luxury—it’s the foundation of the game. Punters don’t want charity; they want a level playing field. Until that’s restored, the industry will continue to alienate the very people who keep it alive.

So, to the Racing Post and its tipsters: save the advice on "blue ink" and "cinema trips." Start advocating for the punters who’ve been left behind. Because if you’re not helping us win—or at least compete—why should we keep paying for the privilege?