Self-service terminals available for first time at Chester

Self-service betting terminals supplied by Playtech BGT Sports and featuring integrated Racing Post content, will be available in the course betting shop at Chester for the first time, for the track's first and biggest meeting of the season starting on Wednesday.

The course's ChesterBET service, which was launched in 2012 and has been criticised for offering poor value prices to punters, was taken over by tote operator Premier Gateway International (PGI) in a five-year deal starting in February.

The system has been trialled at Chester's sister track Bangor twice this year and at corporate events held at Chester during the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals.

Chief executive Richard Thomas said on Tuesday: "It's going well so far but tomorrow's the test of the bigger numbers. We're confident it's all good and up and running."

Thomas has plans to re-introduce pool betting next year, when Betfred's exclusive licence runs out, but is not joining the racecourse pool betting project which is in the process of being set up.

He said: "Fixed odds betting is the way forward we think, but when pool betting becomes open to all in 2018 we'll probably offer some exotics because we think that's what punters are looking for."