Well, look who`s back in town! The bookmakers are making their triumphant return to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) starting Thursday, coincidentally marking the opening day of the Mysore racing season. You might remember them—the same bookmakers who were unceremoniously sidelined after a round of raids by the CCB and a charge sheet that, let`s just say, wasn`t exactly flattering. BTC, ever the paragon of loyalty, even told the High Court they`d part ways with these bookmakers. But, fast forward a bit, and now it seems the club couldn`t be more excited to welcome them back with open arms—and a few social media posts that probably took more effort than promoting the actual Derby!

You see, back in the glory days, when tote was doing well and the dividends were good, BTC was convinced that keeping bookmakers away was the key to success. Who needed them, right? The tote was doing just fine—extraordinarily well, in fact—so bookmakers were left in the dust, their contributions brushed aside like last week`s racing form.

Enter the punitive GST, which swiftly sent tote collections into a nosedive. Cue BTC`s sudden epiphany: Turns out, racegoers weren`t exactly lining up to toss their hard-earned money at measly returns. Shocking, right? In a twist of irony, the once-shunned bookmakers were summoned back, their contributions now miraculously rebranded as the sport`s lifeline.

Of course, during the Bangalore Summer Season, BTC attempted to carry on without them, because, you know, they couldn`t quite get the government`s blessing in time. Predictably, the club`s income took a sharp plunge, and the racecourse became more of a ghost town. Financially, things were spiraling so fast that BTC was left scrambling. And so, what did they do? Why, they moved mountains—or at least some paperwork—to roll out the red carpet for the very bookmakers they`d so eagerly kicked to the curb not too long ago.

And let`s talk about this grand reunion—bookmakers, once treated like distant cousins at a family reunion, are now being showered with the respect they were long denied. Forget the small matter of their little "commissions and omissions"—BTC is all in, bending over backwards to meet their demands. You`d think the bookmakers had saved the world, given how the club is now tripping over itself to welcome them back into the fold.

Of course, when the bookmakers found themselves in a bit of a pickle, BTC wasn`t exactly falling over itself to come to their rescue. Trouble came knocking, and BTC just conveniently misplaced the key. Transparency? Well, let`s just say the recorded bet values were about as reliable as a politician`s promise—more of a suggestion, really. But hey, as long as the stall fees kept rolling in and the right people were kept in high spirits, who was going to complain? Everything was absolutely peachy.

So here we are, with bookmakers back in business at BTC, and the club acting like it was all part of some grand plan.

Who knows if the Bangalore Turf Club has actually bothered to set up any guidelines this time around? Are the bets going to be recorded properly, or are we just winging it again? And let`s not forget the KYC (Know Your Customer) rules, which are apparently laws now—will those be enforced, or is BTC just rolling the dice and hoping for the best? Your guess is as good as mine. Because when it comes to transparency and regulation, one really shouldn`t hold their breath.