Is it illegal to swap racing information ie tips via msm i get gen info approx 5 to 6 tips a year?

Question

Is it illegal to swap racing information ie tips via msm i get gen info approx 5 to 6 tips a year?

Answer 1

no it is not if you would like a free reliable tip drop me an email at [e-mail] including the word tip

Answer 2

The answer is NO. and the returning question is "Why would you want to anyway?"

If it is to make money - forget it there are thousands wanting to do that.

If you are altruistic - you may be betraying the trust of the person telling you!

In any case, if they are good, you would want to keep them to yourself !!!!

Answer 3

it's not illegal

it is called touting

you can't do this if you happen to work at a racetrack

but

EVERYONE THINKS THEIR HORSE HAS A SHOT

and

tips are like uh let's say everyone has one

Answer 4

It depends entirely on who the person giving you the information is.  The new BHA Code of Conduct is quite specific on what "inside information" is and when it is and is not permissable to pass such information on.

The Racing Post carried a double page article on this subject yesterday, so have a read of the following articles and the you will know if you are in breach of these rules.  It's quite long, so bear with it!

INSIDE INFORMATION What it is, when you can use it - and when you can't

'It is still fairly easy to distinguish between a good professional punter winning money on exchanges and someone using inside information to successfully lay horses'

Published: 06/09/2007 (Features) David Ashforth reports

KNOWING what others do not know has always been a cherished commodity in horseracing - whether a horse will run in a particular race, whether it is injured, how well or badly the horse has been working. Such information has become more valuable since the arrival of betting exchanges, which provide a ready means of backing horses to lose.

Traditionally, access to 'inside' information has been regarded as one of the benefits of racehorse ownership and of working in racing stables but, prompted by the impact of exchanges, racing's regulatory authority has acted to prevent the use of inside information to gain an unfair betting advantage. An extreme example would be laying a horse in an ante-post market that only a handful of individuals know has just died. As Paul Scotney, the British Horseracing Authority's director of security, says: "We want a level playing field for the punters on whom racing relies for its livelihood."

As a result, owners, trainers and stable staff are now prohibited from laying horses in their ownership or care. Jockeys' agents have recently been added to the list - they cannot lay horses ridden by riders they represent.

Following a lengthy consultation exercise, inside information is now defined as 'information about the likely participation or likely performance of a horse in a race which is known by an owner, trainer, rider, stable employee or their service providers as a result of acting as such and is not information in the public domain'. Service providers are people such as blacksmiths and vets.

Rule 243 dictates: "No person shall communicate inside information directly or indirectly to any other person for any material reward, gift, favour or benefit in kind."

Passing inside information without proof of reward may still be an offence if the information is used for a corrupt betting purpose.

The penalties for breaching rule 243 have been progressively increased. Since July 26, the punishment has been automatic disqualification. For a single 'average' offence, a jockey, trainer, owner or jockeys' agent can expect to be disqualified for 18 months, and stable staff and service providers for 12 months, with a range of from nine months to five years, depending on the number of breaches and their seriousness.

"We are trying to change a culture," says Scotney. "Practices that were the norm are no longer acceptable. It used to be acceptable to drink and drive, now it is not. In the same way, it is no longer acceptable to have cheats in racing."

Since September 1, a specific offence of cheating has been introduced under the 2005 Gambling Act, and bookmakers are now legally obliged to inform sports authorities if they become aware of a possible breach of the authority's rules. This may involve disclosing betting information previously withheld on the ground of client confidentiality.

During the last two years, a dozen jockeys have been either warned off or suspended for periods ranging from four months to five years for offences in which the improper passing of inside information featured prominently. Gary Carter, a former champion apprentice, was warned off for five years, while championship contender Robert Winston and senior jockey Tony Culhane were both suspended for one year.

In every case, the offences were linked to the supply of inside information, which was used by others to lay horses on betting exchanges.

New codes of conduct have been drawn up, together with guidance on what constitutes the acceptable and unacceptable use of inside information. Trainers are being encouraged to inform Weatherbys as soon as possible when there are doubts about a horse's participation in a race on which an ante-post market is operating, and consideration is being given to other information trainers might be required to supply, such as horses' weights, fillies and mares being in season or in foal, and veterinary treatments.

The question of whether owners should be allowed to back other horses in a race in which they have a runner will also be considered, while bookmakers have been urged to ban individuals excluded by the racing authorities.

MONITORING BETTING PATTERNS

PEOPLE do not need to worry about finding themselves disqualified because of an innocent mistake, or an isolated instance. "No-one is going to appear before a disciplinary panel in respect of a 'grey area'," says Scotney.

He insists that, in all the cases where jockeys have been suspended or disqualified, there has been a wealth of solid, factual evidence against them, often involving detailed information about betting and telephone activity.

"We are trying to deal with people who systematically pass inside information for corrupt betting purposes," says Scotney. "If a jockey tells someone about a horse, perhaps that, in his opinion, it worked badly that morning, and the person lays the horse, that might be tolerated once, but not if it happens seven times."

Jockeys and trainers can put inside information into the public domain but are restricted in passing it on privately. Those who try to evade regulation and believe they can avoid detection are liable to discover that they were mistaken.

"Jockeys have to register their mobile phones," says Scotney. "Some think it is smart to have several phones, but if we find out they are using unregistered phones, and there are sometimes ways of finding out, they will be in trouble. Despite what some people think, it is also still fairly easy to distinguish between a good professional punter winning money on exchanges and someone using inside information to successfully lay horses."

If cheats have become more sophisticated, so have those pursuing them. The BHA's security department now has more than 30 full-time staff, including seven investigators, and a similar number working part-time.

Mark Phillips and Tom Chignell are betting investigators who carefully monitor market movements. In the case of serious suspicions, a red alert automatically prompts an inquiry by racecourse stewards. Phillips says: "About three years ago, at all-weather meetings, we were on the phone to the stewards with a red alert every few days. Now, it is every few months, although we may be in touch about once a month for a lesser alert."

The security department has direct access to Betfair accounts, enabling it to monitor any individual's betting, while not knowing the identity of the account holder. "It is a fantastic tool," says Phillips. "It enables us to build up customer profiles and often to see why a horse is drifting. People think they can avoid scrutiny by using linked accounts, but it is actually very difficult to do."

A trainer recently contacted the department, concerned that a horse he fancied was drifting badly. The betting investigators were able to establish that it was the result of heavy activity by a couple of account holders for whom such action was normal, and not suspicious.

"There are usually good reasons for horses drifting," says Phillips. "If there is a pattern linked to certain jockeys or trainers, we can pick up on it. We now have a much better understanding of the data."

Nearby, John Gardner, the principal intelligence analyst, studies a screen with a network of connecting lines between different telephone numbers. "Gaining access to telephone records is hugely important," says Scotney, "and the courts have given us that access, recognising that the public interest outweighs the claims of privacy. We are trying to establish a statutory right, to avoid repeated applications to court."

There is a name of a jockey and a trainer on the screen, and lines connecting them to others. "We ask for telephone billings for a reason," says Gardner, "perhaps because of an unusual ride or a betting transaction. Betfair's audit trail is extremely efficient and, even when concerted attempts have been made at evasion, they have failed. People change phones, change accounts, use middlemen - our investigative techniques are still effective.

"We can get telephone information electronically and turn it into a diagram. We want to see who an individual has been phoning. Are any of the numbers relevant to our investigation? We have a thorough system for identifying associations between people."

Gardner showed me an impressive, detailed display of telephone and betting activity involving some of the jockeys and individuals who have been suspended or disqualified, linked to particular races. It was not a 'grey' area.

ACCEPTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE USES OF INSIDE INFORMATION

Published: 06/09/2007 (Sport)

Trainers and jockeys

Acceptable uses

there are occasions when trainers and jockeys are allowed to receive rewards for placing inside information into the public domain, provided the rewards are not unreasonably large. For example, broadcast or press interviews or talks in the context of corporate hospitality or stable open days.

trainers putting information on telephone information lines or websites.

conversations about a horse in the ordinary course of business between trainer, jockey and owner, or owner's representative.

casual conversations about the chances of a horse they train or ride with any one individual, without any reward, which are not part of a series of such conversations, and where it is clear that the person concerned will not use the information for a corrupt betting purpose.

Unacceptable uses

communicating inside information directly or indirectly to any person, other than the owner or owner's representative, for reward.

the repeated or systematic passing of inside information, whether or not for reward, to the same individual.

jockeys must not be involved with tipping services.

jockeys must not speak to owners about another horse they are riding, except with the permission of the other horse's owner.

Owners

Acceptable and unacceptable uses

owners are generally free to use inside information except when it is used or suspected of use for a corrupt betting purpose.

owners must not lay their own horse and must safeguard information so that it is not used by others, for instance a racing manager, secretary or driver, to lay the horse.

Stable employees

Acceptable and unacceptable uses

employees may use information to personally back a horse to win, but not to lay it.

they may discuss a horse with the trainer or owner or owner's representative.

they may engage in casual conversations about a horse's chance with an individual provided they are not part of a series of such conversations.

they must not communicate inside information, directly or indirectly, to any person for reward, except the owner or owner's representative.



CODE OF CONDUCT - DOS AND DON'TS

Published: 06/09/2007 (Sport)

General

avoid any contact with disqualified or excluded persons.

refrain from passing inside information for reward to anyone, except in cases specifically allowed for.

refrain from regularly passing inside information to anyone other than the connections of a horse, even when there is no reward, except in cases specifically allowed for.

co-operate with investigations.

Jockeys and valets

do not bet on horseracing.

avoid associating or communicating directly or indirectly with betting organisations.

avoid discussing the chances of a horse they are engaged to ride with anyone, including other jockeys.

adhere to the rules relating to the use of mobile telephones, and ensure that all such phones are registered.

Trainers

ensure that relationships with betting organisations do not confer special privileges or concessions.

do not lay any horse they train.

inform the Racing Calendar Office of non-runners as soon as practicable and avoid telling anyone other than the owner until the information has been published.

Stable employees

do not lay any horse trained by their employer.

avoid discussing the chances of any of their employer's horses, except with the trainer or owner.

Owners

do not lay any horse they own, or any horse from a yard where they have a horse in training.

do not inform anyone of a horse's non-participation in a race before it has been taken out of the betting market.

What information is regarded as in the public domain?

information provided during interviews or presentations on television or radio, or with the press.

information given during talks in the context of corporate hospitality or during stable open days.

information accessible on a trainer's or owner's telephone information line or website.

So basically what all this is saying is that so long as you are not finacially or materially rewarding the person giving you the information, then you should be ok.  If you are, you are walking a very dangerous road my friend!

Answer 5

Tips for all practicality are usually general public knowledge by race time ( and tend to drive the odds down). Some questions you need to answer are:

Where the tip is from? Jockey, Trainer , Owner, someone else?

What are you swapping?? This is where you can get into illegalities and rico statutes.

If you are just buying information from a "touting" service , it is completely legal.

The greatest joy in betting is successful handicapping and getting a steady payoff. This requires study , time, and patience.

Systems, do not work over the long run and you lose the satisfaction of saying "I'm Right". The variables in horse racing are many , of which some are obvious and most aren't. I've enjoyed the sport for over thirty years and you learn something most every day

Answer 6

no no no  why should you think this is the case

Answer 7

No. The only restriction would be that anyone in the paddock area, which is only trainers, jockeys, grooms and veteranarians I believe, is not allowed to transmit anything electronically from the paddock.

This is just to keep the races honest. But any tips any from anyone else, or even from those listed above before they enter the paddock area are fine.

But my advice is to not bother following tips. They don't mean anything, and you'll probably do better by learning how to read past performances and asess horses at the track.