Well the good news is that more than half of the 28 bookmakers, who have applied to gain license to operate their books, will be back in the ring on Wednesday or certainly   without fail on Independence Day. It is true that 14 bookmakers have submitted the required documents to gain the police clearance and are hopeful that their files will be cleared on Tuesday. And the moment they get the clearance, 14 are ready to start operations and an equal number will join and start business in the week ahead. 

Most punters, who were of the view that punting on the tote is a foolish exercise are now delighted with the prospect that the bookies are back. "The odds offered and the returns on investments are much higher than what you gain at the tote window and that's the reason we want the men with chalk and duster in the stalls doing business,offering reasonable prices and lucrative returns on bets,"  said a regular racing buff adding that the attendance will go up three-fold the moment the bookmakers' ring is active. 

The new management committee, it must be mentioned played their cards well to get the bookies back in the fold. The Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), it is no secret cannot survive without the bookies. It was a big struggle and the financial crunch was pulling the club down, BTC finding it difficult to run the show in this fashion. The attendance was down. More than 800-1000 die-hard punters had shifted base to Mysuru and that was a big worry. It really proved to be make hay while the sun shines for the Mysore Race Club (MRC) and the 27 bookmakers operating at Mysuru. The gate collections had doubled and the betting volumes simply got bigger and bigger each week in the bookmakers' ring. Pune and Bengaluru races were the two big draw cards and Mysuru enjoyed the scene, packed bookmakers ring and punters also investing on the favourite pools, Jackpot, Exacta and Trinalla at the tote. 

What took the bookmakers so long to comeback is the question most punters want to know . Well though it is not clear what the real hurdle was, a couple on the condition of anonymity disclosed that they were looking at the club to provide the safety cover. "We pay big money and remuneration BTC earns from us bookmakers helps the club run the show and the least they can do is to facilitate our members." Well it is understandably clear that the club is not in a position to stick its neck out and promise support at this point though they do want the bookmakers back in the ring knowing that their entry will help pull this premier centre out of the oxygen tent.