{"id":2662,"date":"2020-11-02T15:39:20","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T15:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/?page_id=2662"},"modified":"2021-10-11T17:53:12","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T17:53:12","slug":"what-is-flapping","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/sports-betting\/greyhound-racing\/what-is-flapping\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Flapping in Greyhound Racing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GreyhoundThe flapping of which we speak here is not what a bird does with its wings, nor is it what your partner does when they can\u2019t find their keys. It is not related to flipping, nor to flopping.<\/p>\n

It is, instead, the word used to describe greyhound racing in the UK that is unlicensed. That is not to say it is illegal or illicit but simply that it is not licensed or regulated by the official governing body of UK dog racing, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB).<\/p>\n

Here we will explain a little more about flapping, including where you might watch it, how to bet on it, the major differences between flapping and regulated racing, and what issues and controversies the sport has faced.<\/p>\n

Differences Between Flapping And Licensed Greyhound Racing<\/h2>\n

On the face of it there are no real differences between flapping and \u201cproper\u201d greyhound racing. To the untrained eye they would probably seem identical, with skinny dogs running round a dirt oval chasing a mechanised hare whilst people drink beer, eat chips and gamble on which dog is the fastest. Just a normal Wednesday night in Doncaster.<\/p>\n

Races take place in broadly the same fashion over the same distances, with paying spectators watching and betting just as they would at a licensed track. The licensing is the key point of difference though and because these are unlicensed and unregulated venues, there are far fewer rules and regulations about what takes place away from the track.<\/p>\n

\"Greyhound<\/p>\n

Among the many roles carried out by the GBGB is to look after the welfare of the dogs. There are minimum standards of care required both during and after a dog\u2019s career and this is not the case with flapping. In addition, perhaps the biggest function carried out by the GBGB is to try to ensure the integrity of the sport. They try to make sure it, and in particular gambling on it, are fair and proper.<\/p>\n

This means checks on betting irregularities, measures to prevent doping and that steps are taken to ensure that the right dogs are running as listed. None of this takes place in the world of flapping and so anyone wanting to bet on such races should proceed with caution and be aware that there is a chance the punting playing field is not exactly level.<\/p>\n

UK Flapping Tracks<\/h3>\n
\"Valley
Diapers1927<\/a>, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As with \u201cnormal\u201d greyhound racing, there has been a decline in the number of flapping tracks in recent decades.<\/p>\n

Independent racing used to be quite widespread in the glory days of the sport in the mid-20th century but now you are extremely limited in your opportunities to watch it.<\/p>\n

Due to the lack of licensing and regulation this is quite a fluid scene, so tracks tend to come and go even more frequently than they do with mainstream tracks.<\/p>\n

However, at the time of writing there are just three tracks in the UK where one can watch flapping:<\/p>\n