Its all done on line these days @drcongo and for a bet on Senor manager priced at 10-1 the system would only allow a maximum stake of £25. In theory you cold have two or more separate accounts but your £25 bet alone will almost certainly have crashed the odds available for the second bet.
The introductory offers, free bets and eye popping offers online or in the papers all have asterisks next to them and are limited but most proper markets where you get several people listed are open and comparable on sites like oddschecker. The introductory offer winnings come straight out of the marketing budget rather than being any kind of contest although even they don't really exist as they generally get offered as free bets, which you may not win.
The bookies can always stop offering bets or change odds if they get wind of anything happening though and you can be sure they are alerted to any twitter rumblings or increases in betting one way or the other. They're also across so many things that you winning a couple of hundred quid occasionally won't make a dent.
Trading companies are very similar and share the same forecasting and alert systems and everything is hedged or insured to some extent.
Absolute license to print money, or seize it off the weak or I'll iinformed.
As a very occasional punter you might see something at our level that they may not such as our centre half scoring every week in the cup run, but realistically they want you to win every so often to keep you going.
Like @drcongo, I have never gambled in my life, despite living in Las Vegas for a combined fourteen years. I think I put a quarter in a fruit machine once or twice, but that's it. However, my favourite gambling story is from my sister-in-law (a Vegas native like my wife), who was up in Mesquite, NV with her mother and sisters many years ago, playing at a casino there. There was a featured display game called '7's. You pull a lever, and need to hit a 7 on the display. The prize was an enormous cash prize. I forget if it was $100,000 or $1,000,000, but it was pretty much life changing.
Anyway, my sister-in-law (or maybe her mother, I forget) pulls the lever...and get a 7! They shriek with delight, and the group collapse together in a hysterical group hug, screaming and yelling. Other punters in the casino, realizing what has happened, gradually come up and begin applauding, beaming smiles on their faces. The whole thing is quite a scene.
At length, a casino employee arrives, and solemnly but politely explains that you have to get the 7 to win, but you have to do it 7 times in a row. The floor clears, they sheepishly pull the lever a second time, and do not get a 7.
I'm no gambler either, but I loved my one visit to Vegas, though not a fruit machine fan I did enjoy playing Pontoon in the casino (free drinks, jolly company, really friendly fellow gamblers, etc) and first night having kept to my limit of only risking $50 for a bit of fun, left the casino $200 up on the deal. Now believing myself to be a player I strolled in the next night holding my $200 stake with a view to funding the rest of my Stateside jaunt (same free drinks, jolly company, etc etc )and lost $400 in an hour. Great lesson.
My uncle started working at the Scunthorpe steelworks aged 18. End of his first week his workmates took him to the pub, got him drunk and persuaded him to stick his entire earnings on a horse. It won at 6-1. He's never gambled since and turned 90 earlier this year.
For the vast majority of people gambling is just a product like any other. Some people like to have a beer while or before they watch a football game. It enhances their enjoyment. Some people like to place a small bet - it enhances their enjoyment. If they win great but its not the end of the world if they lose. I quite enjoy a bet myself but I have it under control so its fun.
There are problem drinkers and there are problem gamblers and both of those addictions can destroy lives. The issue here is how to protect those addictive personalities from drinking and gambling's ills without removing the enjoyment of the majority for whom both in moderation are life enhancing.
Don't worry @DevC but as my Las Vegas story took place in the late 1990s I think I've got it under control now. Having to concentrate on my alcoholism helped.
I quite used to like it when they had a little booth in the FA stand. Couple of quid each every game with some friends and it would usually pay for a hospitality package at the end of the season. I know we’d probably have done better just putting £2 in a pot each week but there was an internal contest to see who won the most (or lost the least) which added interest.
In my first job, I used to get sent to Arthur Prince on Desborough Road to put my boss’ Lucky 15 bets. As it was a recession and we didn’t have much work on, he’d get me to stay in there and wait for the results, so as an 18 year old, I probably spent 10 hours a week in the bookies.
One memory sticks out. A bloke from one of the furniture factories came in, ripping open his wage packet and place all of the notes on a Pat Eddery mount to win. The horse was well ahead as the final furlong approached and Eddery was just sat up doing nothing much as another horse stormed up and pipped him at the line.
The bloke went absolutely crackers. All emotions within 5 minutes from rage, to tears to shellshocked silence.
Other than minor fun bets, I’ve never really got involved after that. It was a terrible thing to see.
I did like Vegas but handily found losing small amounts several times quickly as soon as I arrived put me off gambling away my life savings.
The industry gets even merkier btw, seems there's lots of bragging "influencer" types offering tips via twitter or other online groups that have been found to be directly getting paid by the bookies for introducing new customers and suggesting certain bets.
Talking of murkier, the virtual grand national last year, all the shops were closed so in order to place a bet it would have to be done using an online account. The sales pitch was all the profit was going to charity.
Maybe doesn't sound too bad but they knew what they were doing, getting people who haven't already got an account to sign up. Once your up and running they'll direct you to the casino games, slots anywhere for you to spend your money and bombared you with messages and emails etc.
As for manager betting I've had some big one's in the past in the shops. Martinez to Everton springs to mind. I also got a £500 bet on Unsworth 4/1 for the next Everton Manager when he got it as Caretaker around 2017, plus other stakes in different shops. It was his for the taking but he was useless and replaced after 8 games so I lost a few quid on that.
It got to much for me in the end the gambling and I had to do something about it before I lost everything (not just money).
I know somebody who won a LOT of money on a horse race. She wasn't a gambler but knew a trainer with some inside info. Horse racing is so bent it's beyond belief. But as long as the people in the know are rinsing the punters it's all ok. Much like the City of London and 'investors'.
@Malone said:
Luckily I learnt my lesson about gambling at about 12 years old in one of those slot machines at the seaside.
Hauled with loads of 2ps coming out of the machine, then wazzed them all away.
I suppose you can say not everyone gets addicted, like with booze/cigs/drugs etc, but it definitely seems a horrible industry.
At least in the old days you had to physically go somewhere to lose your money. Having countless internet sites to do it on is frightening.
Similar story. I used to pop to the bookies on Trent Bridge at lunchtime from school in the sixth form. A 5p yankee or similar (does anyone remember when you had to decide whether to pay betting tax upfront or on your winnings?).
Then I lost the bus fare home on a slot machine at a fair in Nottingham. It was a five mile walk home and I learned a lesson.
@Kim_il_Swan said:
I know somebody who won a LOT of money on a horse race. She wasn't a gambler but knew a trainer with some inside info. Horse racing is so bent it's beyond belief. But as long as the people in the know are rinsing the punters it's all ok. Much like the City of London and 'investors'.
Vaguely remember I did some stewarding at a track nearby while at college, was a bit of an occasional extra on top of the football stewarding, was stood all day looking after an exit with a stable hand (or similar) who had given his marked up racing card to family to put bets on as he wasn't allowed, seemed to have nearly all the winners and have made bets at a level to avoid being detected.
Comments
Its all done on line these days @drcongo and for a bet on Senor manager priced at 10-1 the system would only allow a maximum stake of £25. In theory you cold have two or more separate accounts but your £25 bet alone will almost certainly have crashed the odds available for the second bet.
Ahhhh right, thanks. Crikey, it's even more of a scam industry than I thought it was. Can't believe anyone falls for it.
The introductory offers, free bets and eye popping offers online or in the papers all have asterisks next to them and are limited but most proper markets where you get several people listed are open and comparable on sites like oddschecker. The introductory offer winnings come straight out of the marketing budget rather than being any kind of contest although even they don't really exist as they generally get offered as free bets, which you may not win.
The bookies can always stop offering bets or change odds if they get wind of anything happening though and you can be sure they are alerted to any twitter rumblings or increases in betting one way or the other. They're also across so many things that you winning a couple of hundred quid occasionally won't make a dent.
Trading companies are very similar and share the same forecasting and alert systems and everything is hedged or insured to some extent.
Absolute license to print money, or seize it off the weak or I'll iinformed.
As a very occasional punter you might see something at our level that they may not such as our centre half scoring every week in the cup run, but realistically they want you to win every so often to keep you going.
Like @drcongo, I have never gambled in my life, despite living in Las Vegas for a combined fourteen years. I think I put a quarter in a fruit machine once or twice, but that's it. However, my favourite gambling story is from my sister-in-law (a Vegas native like my wife), who was up in Mesquite, NV with her mother and sisters many years ago, playing at a casino there. There was a featured display game called '7's. You pull a lever, and need to hit a 7 on the display. The prize was an enormous cash prize. I forget if it was $100,000 or $1,000,000, but it was pretty much life changing.
Anyway, my sister-in-law (or maybe her mother, I forget) pulls the lever...and get a 7! They shriek with delight, and the group collapse together in a hysterical group hug, screaming and yelling. Other punters in the casino, realizing what has happened, gradually come up and begin applauding, beaming smiles on their faces. The whole thing is quite a scene.
At length, a casino employee arrives, and solemnly but politely explains that you have to get the 7 to win, but you have to do it 7 times in a row. The floor clears, they sheepishly pull the lever a second time, and do not get a 7.
I'm no gambler either, but I loved my one visit to Vegas, though not a fruit machine fan I did enjoy playing Pontoon in the casino (free drinks, jolly company, really friendly fellow gamblers, etc) and first night having kept to my limit of only risking $50 for a bit of fun, left the casino $200 up on the deal. Now believing myself to be a player I strolled in the next night holding my $200 stake with a view to funding the rest of my Stateside jaunt (same free drinks, jolly company, etc etc )and lost $400 in an hour. Great lesson.
My uncle started working at the Scunthorpe steelworks aged 18. End of his first week his workmates took him to the pub, got him drunk and persuaded him to stick his entire earnings on a horse. It won at 6-1. He's never gambled since and turned 90 earlier this year.
For the vast majority of people gambling is just a product like any other. Some people like to have a beer while or before they watch a football game. It enhances their enjoyment. Some people like to place a small bet - it enhances their enjoyment. If they win great but its not the end of the world if they lose. I quite enjoy a bet myself but I have it under control so its fun.
There are problem drinkers and there are problem gamblers and both of those addictions can destroy lives. The issue here is how to protect those addictive personalities from drinking and gambling's ills without removing the enjoyment of the majority for whom both in moderation are life enhancing.
Don't worry @DevC but as my Las Vegas story took place in the late 1990s I think I've got it under control now. Having to concentrate on my alcoholism helped.
I quite used to like it when they had a little booth in the FA stand. Couple of quid each every game with some friends and it would usually pay for a hospitality package at the end of the season. I know we’d probably have done better just putting £2 in a pot each week but there was an internal contest to see who won the most (or lost the least) which added interest.
In my first job, I used to get sent to Arthur Prince on Desborough Road to put my boss’ Lucky 15 bets. As it was a recession and we didn’t have much work on, he’d get me to stay in there and wait for the results, so as an 18 year old, I probably spent 10 hours a week in the bookies.
One memory sticks out. A bloke from one of the furniture factories came in, ripping open his wage packet and place all of the notes on a Pat Eddery mount to win. The horse was well ahead as the final furlong approached and Eddery was just sat up doing nothing much as another horse stormed up and pipped him at the line.
The bloke went absolutely crackers. All emotions within 5 minutes from rage, to tears to shellshocked silence.
Other than minor fun bets, I’ve never really got involved after that. It was a terrible thing to see.
I did like Vegas but handily found losing small amounts several times quickly as soon as I arrived put me off gambling away my life savings.
The industry gets even merkier btw, seems there's lots of bragging "influencer" types offering tips via twitter or other online groups that have been found to be directly getting paid by the bookies for introducing new customers and suggesting certain bets.
Talking of murkier, the virtual grand national last year, all the shops were closed so in order to place a bet it would have to be done using an online account. The sales pitch was all the profit was going to charity.
Maybe doesn't sound too bad but they knew what they were doing, getting people who haven't already got an account to sign up. Once your up and running they'll direct you to the casino games, slots anywhere for you to spend your money and bombared you with messages and emails etc.
As for manager betting I've had some big one's in the past in the shops. Martinez to Everton springs to mind. I also got a £500 bet on Unsworth 4/1 for the next Everton Manager when he got it as Caretaker around 2017, plus other stakes in different shops. It was his for the taking but he was useless and replaced after 8 games so I lost a few quid on that.
It got to much for me in the end the gambling and I had to do something about it before I lost everything (not just money).
I loved Vegas when I went a couple of years ago. Will certainly go back
Its a great place to people watch
Only betted a few $'s on the machines but both my and my partner came home around $100 up on the gambling
Luckily I learnt my lesson about gambling at about 12 years old in one of those slot machines at the seaside.
Hauled with loads of 2ps coming out of the machine, then wazzed them all away.
I suppose you can say not everyone gets addicted, like with booze/cigs/drugs etc, but it definitely seems a horrible industry.
At least in the old days you had to physically go somewhere to lose your money. Having countless internet sites to do it on is frightening.
Totally agree @Malone. Bet we win tomorrow! ?
I know somebody who won a LOT of money on a horse race. She wasn't a gambler but knew a trainer with some inside info. Horse racing is so bent it's beyond belief. But as long as the people in the know are rinsing the punters it's all ok. Much like the City of London and 'investors'.
Similar story. I used to pop to the bookies on Trent Bridge at lunchtime from school in the sixth form. A 5p yankee or similar (does anyone remember when you had to decide whether to pay betting tax upfront or on your winnings?).
Then I lost the bus fare home on a slot machine at a fair in Nottingham. It was a five mile walk home and I learned a lesson.
I remember the tax being 10%. Then they cut it to 9%. A nightmare for those of us who are completely crap at maths.
Vaguely remember I did some stewarding at a track nearby while at college, was a bit of an occasional extra on top of the football stewarding, was stood all day looking after an exit with a stable hand (or similar) who had given his marked up racing card to family to put bets on as he wasn't allowed, seemed to have nearly all the winners and have made bets at a level to avoid being detected.