Bookies fail to see decimal point

A trial of decimal odds at Ascot yesterday was considered to have been a failure by the bookmakers taking part.

The day was generally a success for Racing For Change, a body charged with modernising and increasing awareness of the sport, with free entry to the Berkshire track more than doubling the attendance from last year.

Racing For Change (RFC) wanted to try updating the traditional fractions on the bookmakers’ boards in the betting ring, but there was little enthusiasm from several of the five decimal layers involved in the experiment.