An analysis of our figures for the past six months reveals that it is getting harder to find value bets. Our strike rate is still excellent at 34% + winners in the Top Two selections but the average dividend has dropped from just over $5.50 to around $5 or a touch under.

It could be a cyclical thing or it could be a trend. One of Australia's biggest betting operators has had his business declined by at least one of Australia's biggest TAB businesses. This hardly makes sense, though, because the TAB cannot afford to lose the business which now must go to the other TAB businesses, including the newly established Austote, which is based on the Australian territory, Norfolk Island. Being located there, means that it effectively sidesteps NSW legislation, which prevented NSW residents from betting with Dial A Bet in Vanuatu or Betfair. Austote takes only 2% to 5% from the pool compared to the other TAB's 14.5% -15% on win betting.

International All Sports, is one of the biggest players in the Australian market and guarantees to pay at least 5% and up to 50% better than Australia's biggest TAB. Their betting turnover exceeds five million dollars per week. Imagine shutting down the account of this player. 15% of all that cash is a staggering $39 million dollars per year. Wouldn't the industry complain about missing out on that sort of money.

So what can it all mean for the average stay at home punter? Maybe locking out the big players will substantially reduce the dividends on the smaller TABs and perhaps increase the dividend on the largest one. If that's the case I know where I would want my money to be, and that's with IAS, which is going to pay better anyway.

Skychannel viewers would be familiar with Valuebet, the service promoted by former bookmaker Dominic Beirne . There have been conflicting reports about how effective Valuebet has been but now the association with TABlimited's Skychannel and Beirne has ended. SMS Sports Information Service advise on the Valuebet website that they have no association with either Beirne, IWS or Skychannel but they will still offer service to Value bet clients and anyone else who wishes to join. There has been some confusion about how Mark Read Pty Ltd is involved with the website but it has nothing to do with Mark Read the bookmaker and Chairman of IAS Limited.

It seems to me that TABLimited, the owner of Skychannel, is continually shooting itself in the foot instead of doing what it should be doing and getting out there and competing. There are simply too many vested interests involved and it's time they all got together and came into the real world and realised that if they do what is best for the punter then the punter will happily invest more money over and over again.

We'll be watching from the sidelines waiting to see what happens and we will advise you.