Ponybet CEO Jason Scott lifts the curtain on the weekend that was for a start-up bookie trying to make their way in a competitive wagering world.
For a start-up bookmaker, weekends rarely move in straight lines. Ponybet CEO Jason Scott summed this one up neatly: Friday and Sunday fell the bookmaker’s way, while Saturday ended in a hard-fought draw.
“It was an interesting weekend for us,” Scott said. “We had the better of our customers on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday was a break-even day.”
That doesn’t mean it was calm.
Friday: Volleyball, breakfast ruined and a Healesville First 4.
Friday began before most punters had poured their first coffee. For Ponybet, breakfast was already spoiled.
“We woke up to a bet of $40,000 at $1.62 on the Berlin Recycling Volleys in the Volleyball Champions League,” Scott said. “A very easy straight-sets victory soured breakfast.”
German volleyball aside, there was another bet that caught the eye later in the day, this time closer to home.
“One ‘fun’ bet on Friday was a customer who placed a $50 bonus bet on a straight First 4 of 2/8/4/5 at Healesville race six.”
When the numbers rolled in, the dividend told the story.
“With a dividend of $258.90 on the Vic TAB, the customer collected $12,895.”
A sharp reminder that even the smallest stake can turn into something uncomfortable very quickly.
Saturday Morning: A stinging blow in the snooker set the wrong tone
Saturday offered no respite. If Friday’s breakfast was unpleasant, Saturday’s was worse.
“Instead of sitting through German volleyball, we had already lost a bet of $38,000 at $1.67 on Pang Junxu in the Coral Snooker Shootout,” Scott said.
From there, the day unravelled.
“The day degenerated from there and by 3.30pm we were in a significant hole.”
Randwick: Favourites Everywhere, One That Hurt Most
Randwick proved especially unforgiving for Ponybet.
“Randwick was particularly nasty with favourites winning the first and third races, then the last three of the day,” Scott said.
But one race stood out above all others: “Race four was the worst race of the day for us.”
After jumping a well-backed favourite, Axius looked in all sorts of trouble at the 250m mark, his run seemingly petering out. However, he rose off the canvas in the final 150m to claim the most unlikely of victories, sinking bookies in the process.
“Axius would have traded at big odds on the Fair when Snack Box put a couple of lengths on it at the top of the straight, but it lifted and won by a pimple.”
Ponybet sent Axius around a significant loser.
“We laid two bets of $10,000 and another of $5,000, and Axius was prominent in several multis.”
Those multis had another common thread.
“All of them included Persian Spirit, which was well backed all day to start $1.80 in the Gold Bullion at Pakenham and won accordingly.”
Brisbane: The Sunshine state provided some respite
Just as the ledger was tipping the wrong way, Brisbane offered some much-needed relief late in the day.
“Some favourites being beaten late in the day at Brisbane helped us square the ledger,” Scott said.
Boomtown Boss was the key runner.
“Boomtown Boss in the Gateway was well supported when markets first went up and went from $2.80 into $2.10 in the last ninety minutes.”
The bets were meaningful.
“We wrote $10,000 at $2.70, $9,000 at $2.50 and a couple of $5,000 bets best tote.”
Eagle Farm brought one final test.
“There was an avalanche of money for the last favourite at Eagle Farm, Flying Aurelius, to see it start ridiculously short around $1.70,” Scott said.
Ponybet had already taken their share.
“We had written $14,000 at $2.25 and plenty of four-figure bets.”
By the time the dust settled on Saturday night, the books were back in line.
“A fruitful night on the dogs and trots was enough for us to break even for the day.”
Sunday: Winning quietly despite Sha Tin superstars rolling home
Sunday saw attention shift to Hong Kong, but despite several short-priced, big-name favourites getting the cash, Ponybet declared victory on the day.
“Despite all of the Hong Kong heroes winning at Sha Tin on Sunday, we were able to win in excess of 25 per cent for the day,” Scott said.
He was quick to downplay the details.
“Nobody wants to read a bookmaker spruiking too many losing bets, so I’ll spare you the details.”
