[trytrytry]

Anyone form England? anyone familiar with the various betting shops that are all around. Question for you then

in the major cities the couple times Ive been in Scotland or england Ive been inside the wagering shops, made some wagers on the horses, some soccer. usually narrow, small, poor TVs and poor quality, low overhead places, nothing to eat, drink, no comfortable place to really sit, some empty totally or very full . very little atmosphere.


My question is do any exist that are actually sportsbooks settings? bar like, restaurants, or "nicer" places to hang out and watch the races, or games? if so how do you find them? sort of a nice OTB experience or sportsbook experience anyplace??

thanks

[semibluff]

Anyone form England? anyone familiar with the various betting shops that are all around. Question for you then

in the major cities the couple times Ive been in Scotland or england Ive been inside the wagering shops, made some wagers on the horses, some soccer. usually narrow, small, poor TVs and poor quality, low overhead places, nothing to eat, drink, no comfortable place to really sit, some empty totally or very full . very little atmosphere.


My question is do any exist that are actually sportsbooks settings? bar like, restaurants, or "nicer" places to hang out and watch the races, or games? if so how do you find them? sort of a nice OTB experience or sportsbook experience anyplace??

thanks

No. They don't exist. UK licencing laws preclude betting shops from providing the services you mention. When I worked in the industry the Area Office was always on the look-out for potential sites that were located near pubs, newsagents, coffee shops, etc because we weren't allowed to sell refreshments, (officially).

[trytrytry]

thats incredible.

OK thanks for that info!!!!

do the racetracks not open that day have open OTB wagering? or if not running are they shut down totally?

[semibluff]

thats incredible.

OK thanks for that info!!!!

do the racetracks not open that day have open OTB wagering? or if not running are they shut down totally?

Racetracks are a totally different proposition. Racetracks are allowed to have bars, restaurants, etc. They have totaliser betting on their own races and they licence independent bookies to offer fixed odds on the races there. What they don't have are shops on site that cater for bets on other races/events. There are historical reasons for this. Until the 1990s the UK Government taxed all bets at source. This meant you either paid a 10% 'tax' when you placed your wager or 10% was deducted from any non-push returns. Racetracks were exempt from this betting tax. Thus if placed a wager at a betting shop at a racetrack you could in theory claim the winnings later off course from any betting shop from the group. The potential for tax avoidance was huge so shops and big chain books were barred. To get around this big books bought up the smaller independents who had track licences. Everyone knew the score. I worked for Coral. We traded on track as Heathorns but everyone knew we were Coral.

Horse racing tracks are only open on a very limited number of days. On a non-racing day the track isn't open to the public. There's not really any need as the 'tax' was lifted many years ago. Books are now taxed like other businesses.

[trytrytry]

very interesting thanks

[packerd_00]

I've not come across any myself,every William Hill or Labrokes ive come across on the high streets are the same.

[Mr. Teaser]

In London they all seem to be the same. I seem to recall in Italy there were some nice ones.

[KVB]

No. They don't exist. UK licencing laws preclude betting shops from providing the services you mention. When I worked in the industry the Area Office was always on the look-out for potential sites that were located near pubs, newsagents, coffee shops, etc because we weren't allowed to sell refreshments, (officially).

Wow, that's interesting.

[moojoo]

Around Europe you have shops where they have bar and you can order coffee or some drink. In England not.

[pimike]

They are set up not to attract a crowd . Not the higher class anyways. I was like wow there’s a William Hill. But it looked like a peep show building. Lol

Not very inviting .

[5mike5]

Hey bluff

U know shaunovery from working at corral?

[Optional]

In Australia just about every pub and licensed club has a race/sportsbook area with TVs and a TAB terminal.

I'd bet over 80% of the population has somewhere to buy a cheap meal, a beer and have a bet within 5 miles of home.

[semibluff]

Hey bluff

U know shaunovery from working at corral?

I don't know him personally. He was the 1st person on SBR i sent a pm to once i had 40 posts. He said he had worked in London for Coral and I wondered if we had met or worked any of the same areas. Apparently not. He worked in Central London and I was in East London. For what it's worth I started off in the racing room at Glebe House in Barking, (I guess its what would be called the Sportsbook). I did get to spend 2 days assisting for Heathorns at Lingfield Park before it became an all-weather track. I moved on to managing shops and was dc for the Dagenham area. I was sad to see shaunovery go, particularly under that betpoint cloud. From what I recall he was upset by the "Is 'YOU' the biggest stiff" thread.

[semibluff]

They are set up not to attract a crowd . Not the higher class anyways. I was like wow there’s a William Hill. But it looked like a peep show building. Lol

Not very inviting .

Again, this is a UK licencing regulation. The public must not be able to see into a betting shop and see people winning or enjoying themselves. I kid you not!

[Optional]

I was sad to see shaunovery go, particularly under that betpoint cloud. From what I recall he was upset by the "Is 'YOU' the biggest stiff" thread.

Plenty of people contacted him and explained how that joke worked.

He was just using it as a convenient excuse to avoid all the points bets he had made on Beat The Prick.

He had stiffed me over 130 quid 4 or 5 years ago too. Guy was so tight fisted he could not even trust himself when it came to paying debts at a guess.

[semibluff]

Plenty of people contacted him and explained how that joke worked.

He was just using it as a convenient excuse to avoid all the points bets he had made on Beat The Prick.

He had stiffed me over 130 quid 4 or 5 years ago too. Guy was so tight fisted he could not even trust himself when it came to paying debts at a guess.

Doesn't shock me. Show me a Coral betting shop manager and i'll show you a sneaky devious bastard. lol.
That 'leaving' reasoning looked weak at best.

[SportsMushroom]

im in gibraltar right now, its part of the united kingdom, but has different laws

so here there is a sports bar at the local casino


its pretty good, lots of tvs. giant screens inside and outside. selfservice terminals for betting sports and horses, pool, poker machines/roulette and they serve alchohol and decent food

https://www.facebook.com/arenasportsbar



will be spending some time there during the world cup

[5mike5]

Doesn't shock me. Show me a Coral betting shop manager and i'll show you a sneaky devious bastard. lol.
That 'leaving' reasoning looked weak at best.

lol

Yeah he had to find some excuse!

[packerd_00]

im in gibraltar right now, its part of the united kingdom, but has different laws

so here there is a sports bar at the local casino


its pretty good, lots of tvs. giant screens inside and outside. selfservice terminals for betting sports and horses, pool, poker machines/roulette and they serve alchohol and decent food

https://www.facebook.com/arenasportsbar



will be spending some time there during the world cup

Gotta come check out Gibraltar and do some Gambling one of these days.Is their much going on their outside of the Gambling.

[jjgold]

australia has some decent betting parlors

[HeeeHAWWWW]

im in gibraltar right now, its part of the united kingdom, but has different laws

Sorry to be a pedant :-) But Gib isn't in the UK, it's an overseas territory, like Bermuda, the Falklands, Caymans, Virgin Islands etc. Thus, as you say, different laws (the UK only handles external relations).

Anyway, always liked it, been there quite a few times.

[pimike]

Again, this is a UK licencing regulation. The public must not be able to see into a betting shop and see people winning or enjoying themselves. I kid you not!

Thanks for the explanation.

[Ralphie Halves]

semi, do you still like it out there in Barking/Dagenham?? My sister/brother-in-law/nephews were there, but got out as soon as they could. Said not great for families. Foreigners pushing children out of their way on busses. Didn't like it anymore.

[El Terrible]

Anyone form England? anyone familiar with the various betting shops that are all around. Question for you then

in the major cities the couple times Ive been in Scotland or england Ive been inside the wagering shops, made some wagers on the horses, some soccer. usually narrow, small, poor TVs and poor quality, low overhead places, nothing to eat, drink, no comfortable place to really sit, some empty totally or very full . very little atmosphere.


My question is do any exist that are actually sportsbooks settings? bar like, restaurants, or "nicer" places to hang out and watch the races, or games? if so how do you find them? sort of a nice OTB experience or sportsbook experience anyplace??

thanks

There's a million you tubes about them

[SportsMushroom]

Gotta come check out Gibraltar and do some Gambling one of these days.Is their much going on their outside of the Gambling.

it has what you'd expect, shops and restaurants

not much going on as far as nightlife is concerned, but spain is right next door and i hear locals go there at night to have a good time

its really lively when there is a football/soccer game going on, pubs and restaurants jam packed, with multiple screens showing the game

world cup should be fun

[deltgen]

I'm glad I came across this thread. Thanks to the OP for the question, and thanks to semibluff for the explanation. England is my second-favorite country, and have been there a handful of times, and will again this fall, and every Ladbrokes I stepped in all reminded me of a peep show that another person compared it to. I always wondered why--now I know why and now I can stop looking for one with a bit more ambiance. Get in, buy my tickets, and move out.

[SportsMushroom]

Sorry to be a pedant :-) But Gib isn't in the UK, it's an overseas territory, like Bermuda, the Falklands, Caymans, Virgin Islands etc. Thus, as you say, different laws (the UK only handles external relations).

Anyway, always liked it, been there quite a few times.

technically yes

but they did vote in the recent uk wide referendum on staying or leaving the eu, and even though they voted to stay at 97%, they are being dragged out along with the uk, so i guess they are kind of part of the uk

bermuda, falklands, caymands virgin islands etc didnt get a vote because they are overseas territory, so i guess maybe gibraltar is a bit more than overseas territory

[semibluff]

semi, do you still like it out there in Barking/Dagenham?? My sister/brother-in-law/nephews were there, but got out as soon as they could. Said not great for families. Foreigners pushing children out of their way on busses. Didn't like it anymore.

I was born in Barking and was there until I was about 10. Fortunately my parents managed to move us all out. When I left school I worked there and the surrounding areas until I was 30. I moved to Bournemouth about 20 years ago. Barking and Dagenham are problem areas, and they've been that way since the 1960's. Basically successive governments herded immigrants into the area rather than spread them around elsewhere. You end up with poor communities competing for limited resources in housing and education. It started with people from India, then it was black people, then Muslims, and 20 years ago it was Eastern Europeans. In my lifetime it's always been an area people move out of when they can.

I'm picking on any of those minority groups or exalting the people who were there before. It's just bad politics and it's why people there end up voting for political extremists.

[El Terrible]

I'm glad I came across this thread. Thanks to the OP for the question, and thanks to semibluff for the explanation. .

And what about me for posting that video?

[El Terrible]

I love the sportsbooks in Mexico. We go to one in Purto Vallarta quite often...Very elegant, great food and they kiss your ass

[packerd_00]

it has what you'd expect, shops and restaurants

not much going on as far as nightlife is concerned, but spain is right next door and i hear locals go there at night to have a good time

its really lively when there is a football/soccer game going on, pubs and restaurants jam packed, with multiple screens showing the game

world cup should be fun

Sounds pretty awesome,surprised ive never gone.

Cheers bud,are you supporting England during the WC.

[rodneytrotter]

. What they don't have are shops on site that cater for bets on other races/events.

There are shops on course which offer prices on all sporting events. However, in July Betfred are closing 49 of their 51 shops in July - I don't know if deals have been done to replace them.

[cankid]

They are set up not to attract a crowd . Not the higher class anyways. I was like wow there’s a William Hill. But it looked like a peep show building. Lol

Not very inviting .

I thought you liked peep shows

[semibluff]

There are shops on course which offer prices on all sporting events. However, in July Betfred are closing 49 of their 51 shops in July - I don't know if deals have been done to replace them.

I stand corrected. It tells you how long it has been since I went to the races. With the abolition of the tax there was no good reason for there not to be shops, but having shops that are only open a few days a year without any form of advantage doesn't make economic sense.

[funnyb25]

Betpoint stiffs crack me up. Betpoints...really? lol