Britain at the Bookies

[tikay]

Enjoyed it to be fair.

Was surprised they showed people not being able to get on.

I deffo would put a bet on with those 2 lovely ladies serving.  I get to put up with 2 blokes in their 40's at my local.  Life ain't fair!

Was glad that lad didn't spunk his shoe money....half expected him to bail on the shoes and turn round straight into Paddy Power.

Would have been good to see a proper pro set up at home, doing their magic on Betfair though.

Don't think there will be much mention of betfair on an effectively coral sponsored show.  Surprised the bbc are effectively giving them a free advert on the bbc for 3 weeks.  Obviously the account closing email the 'winner' got wasn't a coral account but VC.

You can come round and watch me watching loose women and countdown any afternoon you want on betfair.  You will be bored shitless after an hour and go home i reckon.  Nothing exciting about it!

Shame the shrewdie didn't show us the bets he had to win his kitchen and bathroom.  Good show overall though better than i thought it would be.  Pretty realistic and hard hitting in places, esp the abuse shop staff take.  I wasn't expecting it to be that honest tbh.

Love how results orientated the betting shop manager was regarding profits in one shop and the other shop losing.  Both could easily be long term winning shops ev wise.  The guy just summed up a typical clueless betting shop manager when it comes to making long term profits.  Have a couple of winning bets and you get sent on your way types.

Yes, that is a little odd, the BBC have done several along the same lines, for Ryanair, EasyJet, British Airways (note how fixated we are by air travel) & others.  They are made by "Independent" Production Companies & sold to the BBC.  Plenty of room for jiggery pokery there, though if the BBC said "the public love these Shows" that'd be reasonable too.

I'd like to see one set in a Tesco or a Sainsburys.

[AndrewT]

These types of shows are pretty standard fayre on TV now - as Tony Kendall (not that one) stated above. There was a Dominos one on Channel 4 a few weeks ago and Sky had one on Greggs.

Given the gambling aspect, the BBC were never going to show an hour long advert for the industry, there would always be the negative aspect shown. I dare say Coral knew that full well, but they'd still be massively up in PR terms as a result of the programme.

Though I'd imagine that the BBC will get some stick for showing a programme where a guy who appears to be simple is encouraged to play roulette on the FOBT then followed around the town doing likewise at other shops.

[Knottikay]

I actually enjoyed the show. Looking forward to the next two now. Real shows showing real folk are much better than those 'scripted' reality shows IMO.

What does FOBT mean please?

[Chompy]

I actually enjoyed the show. Looking forward to the next two now. Real shows showing real folk are much better than those 'scripted' reality shows IMO.

What does FOBT mean please?

Fixed Odds Betting Terminal.

[Knottikay]

I actually enjoyed the show. Looking forward to the next two now. Real shows showing real folk are much better than those 'scripted' reality shows IMO.

What does FOBT mean please?

Fixed Odds Betting Terminal.

Thank you. I dont go into bookies much nowadays and I would never play them anyway. I live in a small town where unfortunately the High Street is amass of bookies and charity shops. I don't often see either of these two types of businesses closing down....unlike retail shops. 

[Chompy]

Enjoyed it to be fair.

Was surprised they showed people not being able to get on.

They showed one lolpro not being able to get on, and it wasn't with Coral. And he was also able to get more than the few pence most of us have to endure, despite winning as much as "£10,000 this year so far, wiiiiiiiiii". These tables don't pay for themselves.

Simon Clare got a bashing on Channel 4 a while back when he was insistent that's it rare for punters not to be able to get on. That was way more interesting than last night's jobbie.

I actually enjoyed the show. Looking forward to the next two now. Real shows showing real folk are much better than those 'scripted' reality shows IMO.

What does FOBT mean please?

Fixed Odds Betting Terminal.

Thank you. I dont go into bookies much nowadays and I would never play them anyway. I live in a small town where unfortunately the High Street is amass of bookies and charity shops. I don't often see either of these two types of businesses closing down....unlike retail shops. 

They touched on that briefly last night. There are so many betting shops now because they can only have four FOBTs per shop. St Neots now has three shops, recently down from four. For years it had one Ladbrokes and a small independent, which struggled.

[arbboy]

Enjoyed it to be fair.

Was surprised they showed people not being able to get on.

They showed one lolpro not being able to get on, and it wasn't with Coral. And he was also able to get more than the few pence most of us have to endure, despite winning as much as "£10,000 this year so far, wiiiiiiiiii". These tables don't pay for themselves.

Simon Clare got a bashing on Channel 4 a while back when he was insistent that's it rare for punters not to be able to get on. That was way more interesting than last night's jobbie.

The thing is he could get on.  That paddy account for the motm market he was on would have highly likely been set up for liab of a monkey for a clean account.  Which is what he got offered circa £27 at 18/1.  So his paddy account was effectively still clean and he was still moaning.  Comical mug.  Screen shot of his betfair P+L would have been better viewing for the past three months to see how he had really paid for his bathroom and kitchen. 

My mum texted me during the show last night and said 'why don't you do what this guy does and get a job and just do your betfair in the evenings like he does'.  I was like 'fuck me this show is giving mum ammo even after all these years to tell me to get a job again'!

[Chompy]

^

[The Camel]

Enjoyed it to be fair.

Was surprised they showed people not being able to get on.

They showed one lolpro not being able to get on, and it wasn't with Coral. And he was also able to get more than the few pence most of us have to endure, despite winning as much as "£10,000 this year so far, wiiiiiiiiii". These tables don't pay for themselves.

Simon Clare got a bashing on Channel 4 a while back when he was insistent that's it rare for punters not to be able to get on. That was way more interesting than last night's jobbie.

I actually enjoyed the show. Looking forward to the next two now. Real shows showing real folk are much better than those 'scripted' reality shows IMO.

What does FOBT mean please?

Fixed Odds Betting Terminal.

Thank you. I dont go into bookies much nowadays and I would never play them anyway. I live in a small town where unfortunately the High Street is amass of bookies and charity shops. I don't often see either of these two types of businesses closing down....unlike retail shops. 

They touched on that briefly last night. There are so many betting shops now because they can only have four FOBTs per shop. St Neots now has three shops, recently down from four. For years it had one Ladbrokes and a small independent, which struggled.

When I moved to Darlington about 10 years ago, there were 3 betting shops in the town centre. One Ladbrokes, One Hills and one Reuben Page.

Now: 2 x Ladbrokes, 3 x Hills, 2 x Coral (they opened a new shop, and about a month later took over the Pagebet shop) and 2 x Betfred.

That is a quite astounding growth when many businesses in Darlo have closed down and there are plenty of empty shops around now.

(There are 4 Greggs though. Be surprised if any other town has such a high proportion of Greggs per capita!)

[The Camel]

Enjoyed it to be fair.

Was surprised they showed people not being able to get on.

They showed one lolpro not being able to get on, and it wasn't with Coral. And he was also able to get more than the few pence most of us have to endure, despite winning as much as "£10,000 this year so far, wiiiiiiiiii". These tables don't pay for themselves.

Simon Clare got a bashing on Channel 4 a while back when he was insistent that's it rare for punters not to be able to get on. That was way more interesting than last night's jobbie.

The thing is he could get on.  That paddy account for the motm market he was on would have highly likely been set up for liab of a monkey for a clean account.  Which is what he got offered circa £27 at 18/1.  So his paddy account was effectively still clean and he was still moaning.  Comical mug.  Screen shot of his betfair P+L would have been better viewing for the past three months to see how he had really paid for his bathroom and kitchen. 

My mum texted me during the show last night and said 'why don't you do what this guy does and get a job and just do your betfair in the evenings like he does'.  I was like 'fuck me this show is giving mum ammo even after all these years to tell me to get a job again'!

LOLZ had almost exactly the same conversation with my mother apart from adding "I hope you don't frequent those horrible shops with all those nasty people inside"

[Matt.NFFC.]

I guess the lolpro ain't that great then if..

a) He can still get £27 on that particular market
b) He still has a day job.

Felt a bit sorry for the poor lad who had empty cupboards, and could then only fill it with Asda Smartprice crap.

Just thinking about it, am surprised at how many bookies are around these days, I mean, what extra can they offer that the internet can't?

And it's a hassle and a potential cost to go into town to the bookies.

Would never make a journey specifically to go to the bookies anymore.

[arbboy]

I guess the lolpro ain't that great then if..

a) He can still get £27 on that particular market
b) He still has a day job.

Felt a bit sorry for the poor lad who had empty cupboards, and could then only fill it with Asda Smartprice crap.

Just thinking about it, am surprised at how many bookies are around these days, I mean, what extra can they offer that the internet can't?

And it's a hassle and a potential cost to go into town to the bookies.

Would never make a journey specifically to go to the bookies anymore.

I think people forget there are still millions of people in this country who don't have a bank account for various reasons.  These people are probably more likely to gamble than anyone as they come from poor backgrounds, are illegally in the country, working illegally etc etc.  Betting shops in built up areas imo are servicing these types of clients more and more because, like you say, why would anyone with a bank account want to bet day in day out in a betting shop nowadays?  You can't get on, you can watch the racing/sport at home etc etc.  You don't have to listen to fobt's making tilting noises all day and sitting next to a guy who stinks of piss in the shop.

In my local town virtually every punter in the shop 10 years ago who bet to any decent level never goes in any more because they can bet online now and/or they are barred for breaking even or winning over a decent sample. They are left with the £2 punters and the roulette junkies.  

[BorntoBubble]

This guy withdrew his money from a bank though.

More than likely the issue is he wont have a PC/ may not have a smartphone.

He also has nothing else to do apart from wander around town and then gets tempted in by winning a fiver and then moving onto the next shop.

The other lot on the FOBT's are the cash in hand types. Restaurant owners, lads getting paid cash etc. They are much more likely to go and try and spin up in shops rather than do it out of bank accounts.

[arbboy]

This guy withdrew his money from a bank though.

More than likely the issue is he wont have a PC/ may not have a smartphone.

He also has nothing else to do apart from wander around town and then gets tempted in by winning a fiver and then moving onto the next shop.

The other lot on the FOBT's are the cash in hand types. Restaurant owners, lads getting paid cash etc. They are much more likely to go and try and spin up in shops rather than do it out of bank accounts.

Yes he did have a bank card but that doesn't mean he has a bank account that you can use as a debit card and bet online.  Millions of ex bankrupt's/iva people/potless dole boys/bad credit rating types have what martin lewis calls 'basic bank accounts' where you can have a basic cash card and bank accoutn which only lets ur wages/benefits get paid in and you have no o/d facility/chequebook/visa debit facilities.  Your only option is to withdraw cash via atm.  These are the types betting shops cater for nowadays as otherwise you could just go online and bet with better offers/promos etc that you don't get in shops.  OBviously the old guys love the community feel of the betting shop but the fobt culture is slowly killing that as the old boys slowly die off at the same time.

[tikay]

This guy withdrew his money from a bank though.

More than likely the issue is he wont have a PC/ may not have a smartphone.

He also has nothing else to do apart from wander around town and then gets tempted in by winning a fiver and then moving onto the next shop.

The other lot on the FOBT's are the cash in hand types. Restaurant owners, lads getting paid cash etc. They are much more likely to go and try and spin up in shops rather than do it out of bank accounts.

Yes he did have a bank card but that doesn't mean he has a bank account that you can use as a debit card and bet online.  Millions of ex bankrupt's/iva people/potless dole boys/bad credit rating types have what martin lewis calls 'basic bank accounts' where you can have a basic cash card and bank accoutn which only lets ur wages/benefits get paid in and you have no o/d facility/chequebook/visa debit facilities.  Your only option is to withdraw cash via atm.  These are the types betting shops cater for nowadays as otherwise you could just go online and bet with better offers/promos etc that you don't get in shops.  OBviously the old guys love the community feel of the betting shop but the fobt culture is slowly killing that as the old boys slowly die off at the same time.

What?

"Old boys die off"?

Why was I not made aware of this?