MICHAEL DEMETRIOU

Weblog: Betting Shop Manager of The Year

Manager of the Year’s new regional champs

Well, my year is now all but over and on Friday morning (4th Nov) SIS announced the new eight regional champions in the 2011 Racing Post/SIS Manager of the Year.

Having met all the 24 semi-finalists at Doncaster two weeks back I don't envy the judges what must have been a really hard decision . . . from my personal point of view it would be nice to see another independent win it overall again, and there are a few ‘of us’ left  in there who have done impressively well.  I'm sure for whoever does come out on November 21st it will have been well deserved.

Anyway, the eight new regional champions are:

Greater London: Helen Edwards, William Hill, Chase Side, N14
Anglia and SE: Kevin Seymour, Coral, London Rd, Brighton

South West:  Emma Jane Bailey, Creedbet, Bath

Midlands and Wales: Gary Forbes, Ladbrokes, Newark

North: Amanda Duckworth, Paddy Power, Rochdale

North East: Andrea Harrison, Stan James, Newton Aycliffe

Scotland: Andy Bennett, Scotbet, Selkirk

Ireland: Elaine Feeney, Boylesports, Longford

Congratulations to them all, I can tell them they will all love the experience ahead at the Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge.

I did see in the Racing Post the other day a question was "What makes a good betting shop?"

I'm sure a lot of you will have your own opinions and from reading some of your comments all betting shops are the devil’s spawn!!

I think for a majority of customers, and I include myself, we look for a clean friendly environment with knowledgeable staff, a place where you can go for a few hours in the afternoon to relax, have a cuppa and enjoy the racing, and when you do win be greeted with a smile rather than a grunt.

Too often I hear about people complaining that when they've won elsewhere the staff seem to come across that the money is coming out of their pocket!  I also feel a good betting shop should also offer the customer that little bit extra value. Nowadays, particularly where shops are in competitive locations, the offers can be outstanding. I’m confident in our range -  in addition to all our company’s numerous concessions (www.choicebet.net); in Herne Bay we guarantee all handicaps, pay 650/1 for three numbers on the Irish Lottery and give away on average £250 worth of free bets every week.

My final blog will be after the Manager of the Year lunch, when we will find out who this year’s overall winner is . . .  good luck to everybody involved.

On a lighter note, may I recommend if you find yourself in Doncaster make sure you allow enough time to get on the correct train home or, like me, you may find yourself heading towards Manchester!