The Bookies

ElvisP

Considering our current economic climate, has anyone any evidence of a bookies closing down? There are currently 18,000,000 bookies in Galway and all seem to be doing well.

Star Lord

Can you give any reason for me not to move this to Gambling from Bordean Times?

ElvisP

none whatsoever. didn't know where to put it. don't know what boardian times is.
ta

Star Lord

Hey guys, just moved this from Bordean Times as I couldn't think of a better match for the thread... Hope this is ok!

UrbanSea

18 million bookies in Galway?

jolsen

greetings wrote: »

18 million bookies in Galway?

Galway > Las Vegas

Super-Rush

Thats not going to leave much room for any racing.

But seriously. Three years ago there were 6 bookmakers in Carlow town. Now there are 10. 3 Paddy Powers, 3 Boylesports and Hacketts, Celtic, Ladbrokes and William Hill all have 1 each. PP's and Bsports have opened 2 new shops each and William Hill opened not so long ago. It was the same in the 80's, people gamble wheather they have money or not. Its just the way it is.

Itsdacraic

The corporations/exchanges are squezzing the life out of the independent bookmaker.

I would honestly expect betting on course to move a complete totalizer system in the next 10/15 years.

I have heard antecdotally of plenty of former big name independent bookies that are now skint.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

"Curran's" bookmakers in Mountrath closed down there recently, which leaves us with only the one bookies, Harrington's, which is the one I used mostly anyway.

raheny red

Plenty of bookies have closed down and will be continuing to do so for some time.

200motels

I work in the trade and it's quite though at the moment, before we make a cent we have to pay SIS, Turf Tv, Sky sports etc and wages, now if you have a load of shops it's easier to control your losses but if you have a small number it's difficult. I've been in the game on and off since the 80's and it's alot harder to make a go of it today, there's too much racing on and Irish racing is not as straight as it could be.

Kod-box

would the too much racing on not be a good thing from your perspective?

200motels

Kod-box wrote: »

would the too much racing on not be a good thing from your perspective?

No not really, the punters are being bombarded with too much and can easily get Fed up, it's a good balance is what we want, without over doing it and at the moment it's overkill. That's my view, others might have a different one.

thesandeman

While I like the experience of being in the bookies I do most of my betting from home now. I only go to the shop in the evening when things have died down. There really is too much going on- too many screens, odds moving screen as you are looking something up, two races on at the same time, a horse race being put on a split screen with a dog race, commentary being interrupted by a dog race, bloody cartoon racing every two minutes, waiting ten minutes watching a screen to check a result only to find screen changes to odds for a match bet 'special' just as your result is coming around, having to circle the shop to find the Racing Post page with the meeting you are looking for, etc. etc. I could go on but my fingers are getting tired. I was much happier when there was 1/2 tvs, a speaker, a guy marking the board, and being able to look in the shop window after racing to check my results.

Pablo Picasso

200motels is right, the quantity of racing is currently too high and is a negative with respect to the effect on overall turnover.

Racing is already competing with sports like soccer for €€€, the public don't want to bet like crack addicts, or at least be treated like one, with races every 10 mins on a Saturday, if the balance is right the cash will come....Integrity is, and will be an issue for Irish racing if it expects to see more international betting $$$, IRE and the the UK can't compete with HK on integrity but oversaturation is more the reason why the betting public are turning their backs on racing rather than integrity issues

It will be interesting to see the governments proposals for internet tax on gambling, legalized gambling for the most part is a regressive tax on people who are least likely to be able to afford it. If the taxes are passed onto online punters it could be fun times ahead for the Irish racing and betting industries

Kod-box

i suppose yeah, i never looked at it that way.

200motels

thesandeman wrote: »

While I like the experience of being in the bookies I do most of my betting from home now. I only go to the shop in the evening when things have died down. There really is too much going on- too many screens, odds moving screen as you are looking something up, two races on at the same time, a horse race being put on a split screen with a dog race, commentary being interrupted by a dog race, bloody cartoon racing every two minutes, waiting ten minutes watching a screen to check a result only to find screen changes to odds for a match bet 'special' just as your result is coming around, having to circle the shop to find the Racing Post page with the meeting you are looking for, etc. etc. I could go on but my fingers are getting tired. I was much happier when there was 1/2 tvs, a speaker, a guy marking the board, and being able to look in the shop window after racing to check my results.

I think the board marker is sorely missed, and as I used to do the board in the dim and distance past the punters I think miss the board and the banter that went with it. The atmosphere in most shops is now dead. I manage a shop now and I'm trying to bring that atmosphere back but it's hard because of all the cartoon racing on and betting every second on anything that moves. Another thing is that why do we need two services SIS and Turf TV which is a joke, it should be all on the one service, and now this month Sis are beaming American racing to the shops, more racing to bombard the punter with, less is more as I always say but they seem to think more is more, it will backfire on them and more and more people will bet online.

bernyh

200motels wrote: »

less is more as I always say but they seem to think more is more, it will backfire on them and more and more people will bet online.

I agree with the sentiment, but unfortunately the figure's don't support this.... PP made more online than they did with the bricks n mortar shops over the last number of years (don't know about others but I know this is the case for PP), the people fronted shops cost much more per annum than maintaining someone's online account. PP have started introducing self service terminals in the shops (very few but they are there) the younger market seems to be the target for PP, they seem to see the older punter as a dinosaur and will encourage their customers to use the online service.

It depends on the dynamics of the shop, the shop I work in would have prob about 15-20% of our daily dockets taken in for virtual racing, so the punters seem to want to bet on it.

swordofislam

bernyh wrote: »

It depends on the dynamics of the shop, the shop I work in would have prob about 15-20% of our daily dockets taken in for virtual racing, so the punters seem to want to bet on it.

Should be banned just the same as FOTB and bet on only by addicts. At least the bags in Coventry on a tuesday afternoon is real dogs and squarer than the virtual racing.

bernyh wrote: »

PP have started introducing self service terminals in the shops (very few but they are there) the younger market seems to be the target for PP, they seem to see the older punter as a dinosaur and will encourage their customers to use the online service.
.

In 15 years they will curse themselves for doin that. No shops means no brand and no advantage over the exchange, Bookies will be gone in a decade.

thesandeman

Boyles, Lads and some of the BetPack group have now put in one or two Self Service machines in the shops now.
Thats putting me off the shops but on the other hand Im placing smaller bets from home i.e: in a shop I would bet a minimum of a tenner on a big priced horse I fancied because I would feel a bit embarrassed whereas at home I will stick on a couple of euro to win 40. Most of these will prob lose so they are making less profit from me. Same with L15s etc. In shop its a Euro L15 but online it 20c to keep me interested.
I dont normally do football and stuff (maybe next year cos QPR are back where they belong) so for the 'traditional' punter they are probably losing out.

Warper

thesandeman wrote: »

Boyles, Lads and some of the BetPack group have now put in one or two Self Service machines in the shops now.
Thats putting me off the shops but on the other hand Im placing smaller bets from home i.e: in a shop I would bet a minimum of a tenner on a big priced horse I fancied because I would feel a bit embarrassed whereas at home I will stick on a couple of euro to win 40. Most of these will prob lose so they are making less profit from me. Same with L15s etc. In shop its a Euro L15 but online it 20c to keep me interested.
I dont normally do football and stuff (maybe next year cos QPR are back where they belong) so for the 'traditional' punter they are probably losing out.

Those little small bets are the key to online though. They all add up. stupid little bets like scorecasts are bookies dreams.

The_Kew_Tour

I worked in a bookies as a summer job and through College for year here some things I learned

Never do the bookies fancy bets like Lucky 15, Union Jacks(dont even touch that one) scorecasts, correct scores, backing odds on and doing doubles and trebles, footie accum.

Bets that seemed to get decent return were singles(if you knew your stuff) and placepots.

thesandeman

My Placepots died a death when they stopped paying 4th on 16+ Non-Handicaps in Ireland. I used do very well before then.
I presume too many people did well :-S
Not the bookies fault though but I presume it was discussed with the Tote.