Everybody knows that you can place a horse racing bet in either a high street bookmaker (betting shop), or online. Which is the best way of making wagers, for you the punter?
View Today’s Betting Markets Now!High Street Bookmakers
First, let’s look at high street bookmakers and what you need to do to place your bet. You will always need to visit the bookmaker in person and pay with cash. Betting shops are only open during certain hours of the day, which can be inconvenient if you work long hours and are unable to leave the workplace.
When you arrive at the bookmakers, you will not be able to see what is going on inside until you go through the door. Bookmakers do not have see-through glass windows, as the customers do not tend to like being observed from the street. This can make them feel rather seedy and similar to amusement arcades.
When you get inside, you will find lots of television screens on the walls, showing both horse and dog racing. There will usually be a few fixed-odds betting terminals for those that like to play automated gaming machines (video casino games). You will also see various pages of either the Sporting Life or Racing Post newspapers tacked to the walls. These show all of the race cards for that day.
Placing Your Bet
There will be various dispensers dotted around the betting shop, which contain betting slips. There will also be some small stubby pens that you are free to use. You need to fill out the betting slip with the details of the meeting, the race, your selection, the type of bet (eg. win only) and the amount that you want to stake on the fixture.
When you have filled out the slip, you need to join the queue at the cashier’s desk and have your money ready. The cashier will take your cash and betting slip, then process the bet. They will tear off the front of the slip and file it. You will be given a carbon copy, which is at the back of the betting slip.
Claiming Your Winnings
You can stay in the betting shop and wait for the race to take place, or you can leave and come back later if your bet is a winner. Make sure that you do not lose the carbon copy, or you may well run into difficulties when you try to claim your winnings. Most people use betting shops because they either do not have internet access or are unable to deposit online.
Why Online Customers Get The Best Deals
Betting online is much easier and the punter usually gets better value. Firstly, they will usually get some kind of matched deposit bonus when they first put money into their betting account. No such bonus is available at the betting shop. RaceBets currently offers a maximum matched deposit bonus of £/€50.00.
When you bet online, you will often qualify for a whole host of other special bonuses (see RaceBets’ promotions section for all of our current special and exclusive offers) and our exclusive daily £5000 jackpot freeroll. Again, you will not find these in the betting shop. Your winnings will be credited immediately when you bet online and you do not need to worry about holding onto a betting slip. Overall, you will find betting online much easier and you will get more value with your bets.
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