Leeds grandad Darren Gibson has vowed to never return to Wetherby Racecourse after he was "refused entry" with cash. He's fumed the only way he could enter was with a contactless or online payment but he'd lost his bankcard and "doesn't do online".
The 56-year-old said the staff member he spoke to acted “snotty" and "stuck up”, refusing to budge. The Seacroft man then stated the racecourse was run by a “dictatorship” enforcing rigid rules designed to “embarrass” the older generation.
Wetherby Racecourse's Chief Executive Jonjo Sanderson pointed out the contactless entry system has been in place for a year, so finds it "hard to believe" a regular visitor would be "surprised" by this.
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Darren said: “It feels like Wetherby is turning into a dictatorship. Card only - what is all that about?
“I’ve been going there for years, I’m annoyed, angry. They're cutting their own throat. If I ran a fish and chip van and somebody came up and I said ‘Sorry, cash only’, I’d be cutting my own throat.
“It’s my favourite place but I will not go back. No way will I be dictated to.”
A self-proclaimed ‘racing fanatic’, Darren's boyhood dream was to become a jockey, and not just any type of jockey, a jumping jockey. He loves nothing better than an exciting day at the races and has visited Wetherby Racecourse regularly over the years.
Darren, who works in the food industry, said he had planned to attend the races on Wednesday, October 12, but he had lost his bank card. He'd heard of racegoers being turned away when arriving with just cash and no bankcard at various other racecourses, so he called up the course the day before to avoid any “embarrassment”.
He said he did not think it would be an issue and was shocked by their response.
Darren said: “I know they have this card only thing, so I phoned them up and asked if I could come tomorrow and pay cash as I’m waiting on a new bank card. The stuck-up cow says ‘No, it’s card only’.
“I said I was willing to pay cash but she said I had to pay card. She then asked if I could ‘do it over the internet?’ I’m in my 50s, I don’t do the internet.
“I get a paper statement and everything and go to the bank to get cash. I then asked ‘Is it card optional?’ And she said, ‘No, no, card only’.
“I said ‘I can’t come then’ and she went ‘nope’. I was proper biting my lip. She was so snotty. They’ve basically told me to do one.”
Feeling persecuted, Darren has pointed out how the venue accept a mix of cash and contactless inside the venue, to put down a bet or pay for food. He worries about people who travel to racecourse in syndicates on coaches, where one person collects all the cash for entry.
Jonjo Sanderson, Chief Executive & Clerk of Wetherby Racecourse, said: "In the midst of Covid, in conjunction with the construction of a new entrance building and ticketing system, the Board of Directors of the Racecourse decided that moving forward we would move to a cashless entry system.
Additionally, as I am sure you can imagine, handling cash carries a significant risk, from a security perspective, as well as a significant cost. This policy has been in place very successfully, and without contention I might add, since we resumed racing in October 2021, after 18 months of racing behind closed doors.
"If Mr Gibson is as regular a visitor as he claims, I find it hard to believe that this was such a surprise to him, given it has been in place for a year."
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