How many times have you heard the country's going to the dogs? We'll be doing so much earlier......starting next month.
It might seem bonkers to some but early morning greyhound race meetings are in prospect in the South East.
The fixtures will be broadcast into thousands of betting shops across Ireland and the UK.
The morning meetings - the first of their kind in this country - will start in Kilkenny next month and at Kilcohan Park in Waterford city in the new year.
Racing will under way at 8.18am despite the fact that under Irish law shops cant open until 10AM.
“Irish Greyhound Racing is now broadcast to in excess of 4,000 betting shops in the UK,” said Joe Lewins, Director of Tote Wagering and IT with the Irish Greyhound Board.
“This gives the IGB, and the Irish greyhound industry as a whole, further opportunity to showcase our racing product to the SIS audience and to build on the success of the meetings currently being broadcast throughout Ireland and the UK.
“The IGB welcomes the extension of the SIS programme in both Waterford and Kilkenny. We will continue to promote the product so that Irish greyhound racing can benefit from those exposures and revenues.”
All grand and lofty aspirations but it's just a mad time isn't it?
It would appear many race tracks and greyhound stadia get more of their revenue now from broadcast and streaming rights rather than people through the turnstiles.
The timing of these fixtures is purely for the broadcast companies.
You'd wonder also how this plays into the general debate we are having here about our relationship with betting and gambling?
It also raises more questions about how you spend your day?
Few pints and a trip to the dogs...before breakfast?
I'm in.
Will you bell the boss?!
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