Low Tote Deduction Lifford Joins SIS Roster
Lifford Greyhound Stadium has joined the roster of tracks that supply live racing pictures and data to SIS (Sports Information Services). Set to become a regular weekly fixture on the schedule, Sunday, November 10th’s evening meeting marked the track’s SIS service debut when it staged an eight-race card.
Lifford’s impressive grandstand was built in 2001. © Lifford Stadium – Greyhound Racing
Supplying betting content to online and retail bookmakers worldwide, SIS is partnered with over 400 customers in 50 countries. During 2024, the company will provide its operators with over 23,000 live greyhound races from seven tracks in Ireland and six in the UK.
A devastating fire destroyed the grandstand and much of the infrastructure at Suffolk Downs Stadium in the summer. That venue has remained closed since July. Towcester and Oxford Greyhound Stadiums stepped in to stage the meetings it was scheduled to stage on the SIS roster.
Its other partner SIS UK tracks are Doncaster, Harlow, and Valley, which is situated in south Wales.
However, SIS broadcasts from more tracks in Ireland with Clonmel, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mullingar, Tralee, Waterford and Yougal on its roster before Lifford joined. These venues stage meetings before the SIS cameras less frequently, meaning the annual number of British races is three times that of Irish ones.
Lifford Looking to the Future Following Chequered Past
Based on 2024’s calendar, Lifford’s weekly inclusion on the SIS roster means the betting content supplier is on course to supply its customers – such as 888casino and sportsbook, bet365 and Betfred – with more than 500 Irish greyhound fixtures and 6,000 individual races during the coming 12 months.
Located in County Donegal, the Republic of Ireland’s most northerly county, the addition of Lifford to the SIS greyhound racing service is significant for the track and the sport in Ireland. It promises increased exposure and supports the local economy and a top-class greyhound stadium, which has had a chequered past.
Lifford Greyhound Stadium, Ireland (1999) pic.twitter.com/5aUPbo7LVH
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) May 16, 2023
Opened in 1959, the family-owned and operated track was always kept in pristine condition. However, looking dated – and sold following a decade on the market – €12 million was invested in upgrades and a new grandstand in 2001.
The track re-opened at the end of 2003, but the sport was about to experience tough times. By 2018, Lifford was up for sale again, with a much-reduced price tag of just €1.9 million. Racing stopped the following year and did not return until March 2023.
Lifford’s USP Is Ten Percent Tote
Lifford is now operated by a consortium that features renowned professional gambler and racehorse owner Harry Findlay. With the best online sports betting sites now showing races and accepting bets on Lifford’s Sunday night races, punters can bet on the track’s races at fixed odds via SIS.
Lifford: 17.5 acres of land which can be categorised into two main parts: the stadium, kennels, racetrack and car park plus additional agricultural land. The stadium is a state of the art entertainment venue and currently for sale – €1.9 million pic.twitter.com/UsNnveX4mD
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) November 13, 2019
However, the business model and vision for Lifford under Harry Findlay has always been based on Tote betting. Resultantly, tote bets for Lifford’s races can be placed at the track, and on various websites.
To entice punters and generate turnover, the track boasts one of the best value Tote models in the world. Its standard pool deduction is just ten percent.
The drive to encourage customers to bet through the Tote has become contagious. Greyhound Racing Ireland recently announced it was slashing its tote retention (on win and place pools) by ten percent for the quarters, semis and final of the ongoing Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby.
The latest betting on the €300,000 competition – which concludes on Saturday, November 23rd – is headed by the Graham Holand-trained Bockos Diamond. On a winning sequence of 13, the two-year-old greyhound, who has only tasted defeat once in his 15-race career, is quoted on 5/4 odds by the sponsors and other top online bookmakers.
