bookmakers restrictions - watchdog???

Why dont You organise it so..... the amount of guys who have got knockbacks and letters on here would give you enough evidence for a whole series of watchdog programmes never mind one episode

i know its there business and they dont have to accept bets

True, but if they restrict/close down winners and only want to play losers they take on the appearance of social vultures, which is something they are keen to avoid.

I'm in, siralex....everyone in this industry takes this sh1t for granted but people outside it, including watchdog, would be horrified imo.

Pointless.
The bookies will just scream "ARBERS"

yeah seems quite pointless i think. if they had to accept bets then professionals would take every last penny off them.

I've written to That's Life and they've done feck all.

i dont think watchdog would sympathise with a big time punter placing large "pro" bets.

It isn't just " big time punters" who are penalised.Small players are punished too, if they look like they know what they are doing.A bookmakers "defence" of "arbing" would sound even worse on TV in my opinion. What business of theirs is it if one shows enterprise and makes a profit by laying off on here.

of course nothing will change but if watchdog did have it on their programme at least the high st betting shops wuld look really bad on tv.

what aboutthe  advertising watchdog nothing in there ads that says winning accounts closed

Im in and have e.mails of Badcrooks.....

also closed by spoils, very shabby firms who obviously only want losers....

bring back the cook report

Good Idea.I will be able to produce several e/mails regarding closed accounts if needed.

Siralex is without doubt the very last person on this forum who should be heading up any sort of protest in regard to bookmaker practices imo.

paddypower was caught out on radio over here about closing accounts. the (unt was left speechless.

Brother Mouzone - don't give up just yet on That's Life. I wrote to them saying I had an account closed due to backing a few winning horses and they weren't interested, however when I wrote another letter saying I had had an account closed when I backed a winning greyhound who could say "sausages" they were all over it like a rash.

Dear Peter,

We are writing to you to let you know that we have reviewed your account.

As you will be aware until now your account has been heavily restricted and the bets that you have wished to place haven't been accepted.

We have taken the decision to close the account rather than continue to offer a heavily restricted service. Your account will remain open for the next 48 hours, please withdraw any balance during this time; once your account has been closed you will have to call us if you wish to withdraw any remaining funds.

We are aware that you may be unhappy with this decision and apologise for any inconvenience.

Your sincerely,

Ladbrokes Customer Services Team

sell your Ford Cortina, and stop betting with the bookies, what's the point.

Gerard

Siralex,agree with you,bookmakers know they can get away with their scandalous practices of only accommodating losing punters because they know the racing media will never expose them because of the advertising revenue,so the general media are the only hope us punters have of highlighting this to the general public and even MP`s who should do something about what after all is a total abuse of their licence`s.

thanks for your support aviboyd!!

thanks for your support aviboyd!!

none of you would be closed , you could have any bet you want. just learn to accept lower prices.

Do you mean that if Lads. are offering 9/1 we should 'phone up and insist on being given 7/1 ?

so let me get this straight barry, a firm advertises a horse that it will lay at a certain price and a customer also thinks that price is a price he would like to back the selection at but you are saying he shouldn't take that price he should take a lower price?

a bit confusing to say the least.

siralex you really are clueless if you think this is a runner.

I've got a few account closed emails you can have - not in my name though

soba dont own a ford cortina or a car even where we live in spain we do need one any way i have been looking at the asa web site also if a bookie will take a bet from a punter all day long then will refuse a bet from another type of punter is that discrimination and we know what the law is about discrimination

Nothing to do with discrimination. Perfectly acceptable for any retailer to refuse service unless it is on the grounds of race, sex, disability etc.

To suggest that there is or should be a legal requirement that could make a bookmaker have to accept a bet is crazy.

Exactly, strawberry face.  My thoughts exactly.

It's their business to run as they see fit, within the laws. END OF STORY.

Forget Watchdog, you need to pettition Parliament if you want the laws changed.

Should be funny!  Calling for the law to state that a bookmaker is legally obliged to accept a bet.  WHAT AN UTTER NONSENSE.

ozy - i am not expecting anything to change, far from it. i just want it highlighted somewhere as relying on anyone connected with bookies or racing to do that is never going to happen.

just something that lets the public know what goes on would be a start. anything to humiliate the bookies would be good also.

Count me in Sir Alex.Anything that gives those mf's a hard time is ok by me.

would mr c stein refuse a bet

Is it the said type of businesses fair practice under trade description act to advertise winning and prizes, jackpots and then ban someone for doing what you advertise you supply, I think not and removal of all types of advertising should be banned from such companies as clearly they are breaking rules and regulations regarding service and product description.

Why dont we start a campaign and convert as many as we can into using exchanges instead of the bookmakers and slowly the tide will turn!

It is one thing to refuse any customer on seperate case issues but to refuse mostly the ones you sell the idea of winning to is quite a misuse of this policy.

It would be like a bank refusing customers services if they dont get into constant debt!

and yet advertising they pay the best commisions!

* iterests

*interest rates

I am very surprised that a group has not got together and started an action group to put this matter forward to the office of fair trade.

i admire all this idea of campaigns, unfortunately i dont think it would get very far. who really cares about punters who are taking money off of bookies. you wont get much sympathy, even if you do get a 2 minute mention on tv.

i remember a good while back that i suggested bookmakers should stop giving out bog. i was shouted down by some as a turkey shouting for christmas.

i'll say it again. i dont think bookies would be closing anywhere as near as many many accounts if they didnt offer bog.

it gives punters too big an advantage.

i dont see why the bookies dont try this before resorting to closing accounts...

Stopping BOG wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. They don't want the product, they love the advertising and cloak that Racing lets them hide under, but they make their money elsewhere.

The big problem bookmakers will have at some point in the future is the same problem that has decimated the public houses and that is competition from other forms of leisure and as more and more become computer literate and the television set top box market develops into truly interactive tv , the availability of direct comparisons of prices on sporting events will mean the exchange will take over the lions share of gambling business.

The hope that the niche market of FOBT will maintain their high street presence is a forlorn one as this product is found now openly in a virtual form on   many hundreds of gambling Internet sites globally and the competition here is even greater.

The time bookmakers decided to turn their back on winners and the concept of fairness will one day be a legacy of a dis-functional form of organized gambling revenue that has had its Day !

say you had plenty of dosh and were so minded you take out full page spreads in the racing press to highlight the fact that bookmakers will close your account if you beat them and to show what they are like would the racing press then refuse your trade or if they continued would they loose the trade with the bookies

I reckon the Mythology that the bookmakers run by is slowly but surely becoming open knowledge and is mentioned many time in the press but how they can get away with claiming a chap walked into shop and was allowed to place £500,000 on a horses is a total farce as they will not accept that sort of bet at all and someone should try it out and expose them, would make great television!

this is exactly the kind of story watchdog would love.it doesnt matter a fcuk if bookmakers are acting within the law or not in refusing certain customers bets.its just another example of the greed of large companies..and then theres always the possibility of exposing some of the more underhand tactics bookmakers use like shortening the price of known non runners in order to apply a greater rule 4!

artie, northern light, if I want to buy william hill shares @ say £2.30, which was the price quoted, and thousands of others want to buy at the same price, everyone is limited at that price, it gradually increases, its called supply and demand,

shall we tell watchdog the stock exchange aint playing the game.

The fact bookmakers cant even honor a price as quoted and advertised is yet another case of infringement of trade descriptions but of course its how a bookmaker is supposed to act as they
have roots firmly in the grim underworld historically, and no Barry its quite wrong indeed.

How would you deal with a punter wanting half a million on big bucks ? price drop or refusal

its a massive risk isnt it

If ya win here they tell ya fukk off.....if ya lose.....they give ya tickets for events and send ya a bottle of wine at christmas.....no difference from bookies....

bf_fanatic you are one clueless and ill informed individual.

Goodnight.

Are you saying some people are not allowed to buy shares as they've shown a profit from their activites in the past, Barry?

Hopeless analogy.

Brilliant rebutle Headmaster, check mate

Bf_fanatic is a nutjob.....everybody knows its mugs only on betfair......simple rule.....if they leave ya play.....ya aint making it pay.....

You really are f00king **** Mr Dennis, "you just have to learn to accept lower prices"
it's got nothing to do with lower prices as you well know. They are restricting
anybody who looks like they have a clue and who demonstrate dicipline when punting. ye are a
bunch of f--king sewer rats, who have bled this industry dry for 30 years.

Bye now

Whatever bookies do.....one thing they dont do.....is keep up to 60% of yer money.....if ya back a few winners......

Motley.....bookies may well be restricting people....i agree......so too are betfair but ya cant see it.....they hav made winning impossible......

And we all really know who the charge hits the hardest and its not punters!

not the same thing at all though is it barry because if there are a number of shares available at 2.30 then i have same chance to purchase those shares as other customers if i'm quick enough.

the stock market would never be allowed to say that customer A can only have 10 shares but customer B who comes along 10 mins later can have 200.

anyway there have been dozens of times i have had not particularly big bets of 50 quid or sometimes less knocked back to sp only or a couple of quid only to see that the same price is still there half an hour later so that has had nothing to do with supply & demand.

It hit the winning punters.....the ones that could win on average about £500 a week.....those heavy hitters.....

I cant reveal too much but I am pretty clued up into how the markets and various users operate and by what effective method they achive a profit , greedy bookmakers love slating Betfairs unique and brilliant approach and get use it to make profits themselves, use a little imagination!

offer unfair prices then arb it where fair prices are on offer suported by the general public, nothing changes, except charge rates

Ya are clued up about fukk all.....

My family have been into boookmaking and I could work out over-rounds in nappies mate.

Put on one of those nappies and go to bed ya fool ya.....

They are not just only restricting people, they are closing accounts for beating
sp's, irrespective wheather the f--king thing wins or not ffs, and for numerous other reasons.
Their marjins have been squeezed by the vast amounts that have migrated to betfair, they have invented every f--king
betting medium to divert money away from racing. Every betting shop in now a mini casino, thieving from the
poorest communities with the FOBT'S. As regards being restricted on here, it's a very select few, hardly comparable to how the bookies are behaving is it. A bunch of f--king sewer rats

If did a scientific report into all aspects of addictive gambling it can be found that its the adrenalin rush(feeling of risk) that is the addictive component , rather like why a base jumper or skier tries ever more daring stunts to achieve maximum rush. Now with betting you have to have time to work out the effects of the results of the risk that you have just gone through or you can become trapped and indeed addicted to the high levels of adrenalin in your body which will override the ability to think your way out of the heightened state of mind.

The Bookmakers are fully aware of this trapping effect of Heightened state of adrenalin ad promote it wrongly by having now 2 minute intervals between racing events and the bombardment virtual   betting events to speed up the  process and thus give punters even less time to think there way out of the increasing feeling of loss via calculating the risk or taking flight, another primitive bio-state for survival. the FOBTs work on the same principle and feed the adrenalin into now young minds at minute intervals almost as if on a drip feed and my heart goes out to all those that are stuck into hat lifestyle that is thrown at them by very high street firm now .

The fact this is allowed to go on in out streets instead of designated casinos is not good for the our culture generally and is pulling the next generation away from normal sports betting which is played as second, no third fiddle in the hope of evading levy payments.

If the government cant act against this exploitation its merely because they themselves look too gaining more tax are are Dependant from this resource instead of giving young people hope, teaching and jobs which is what is really needed but never supplied by repeated poorly performing governments that have let all the main sources of commerce and trade in this country slip behind Europe and the rest of the world by ignorant past over-taxation of British based companies.

Phew as you can see its a complex social problem and it doesn't just involve bookmakers it involves all of us and future generations to come.

At least sports betting encourages you to think and gives you the time todo so and though risk, the skill element can be good espically when playing against other exchange players at better odds, the fact betfair dropped virtual racing was a milestone for a betting company as it wants to be different and offer a better expierience, which it does every day and in it own unique way.

Their simply is no comparison between a bookmaker and an exchange for many reasons, period.

obratzov1     24 Apr 12 20:22 

i'll say it again. i dont think bookies would be closing anywhere as near as many many accounts if they didnt offer bog.

I have letters from C0ral, Coomes and AR Dennis closing my accounts as long ago as 1990. That's 22 years ago, when no bookmaker offered BOG (and no punter could arb).

These days you have bookmakers blaming arbers, punters blaming BOG, barrydennis blaming thin margins ... the fact is, though, that closing shrewd accounts is what bookmakers always have done and always will do. The only thing that has changed in the last decade is that this wretched site has emerged, providing them with a free and accurate tissue. As a consequence, H1lls and Laddies, who used to accommodate known shrewdies to reasonable sums as a way of getting their card marked, have realized they no longer need such information. Hence the recent purges.

They don't even keep accounts open on a heavily restricted basis any longer. Why would they need to? A glance at Betfair tells them exactly what to lay and what to swerve.

Basically, if you can keep your head above water long enough, every bookmaker you use will close you down.

Is it right? Is it worth investigating? Well, on the basis that customers are only allowed to gamble if they lose, there are definitely uncomfortable questions with respect to encouraging "responsible gambling". The trouble is that the only people who would be concerned by this and would take action would be those who want to restrict and/or abolish gambling.

That's the only follow-up I could see coming from any Watchdog-style publicity: a Salvation-Army led campaign to abolish bookmakers, with Betfair caught in the dragnet. It would be a real vote-winner too.

Totally agree with your comments SBTW, its pointless us all complaining about the unfairness of companies polices and practices when its been this way since year nod and anyone using accounts with bookmakers is more or less saying watch every move and bet I make.

Its not impossible to win from the bookmakers and many bets are made at such places on a regular basis.

Recently a horse on the AW was backed down from 40/1 to sevens in the offices then drifted to 14/1 and still won nicely and these weren't account bets but carefully placed bets from organized groups and this has been effective to the count of millions of GBP over the years. The bookmakers like to think they have every kind of security thats possible but at the end of the day they are open to risk just as much as any other form of business and an attack on Bookmakers would only become a much larger moral issue circling Gambling of which its best not to rock the boat.

Not while the boat is packed full of sardines ready for prospective sharks to dine on that is.

Apr 24, 2012 -- 10:34AM, peterhiggins wrote:

Dear Peter,We are writing to you to let you know that we have reviewed your account.  As you will be aware until now your account has been heavily restricted and the bets that you have wished to place haven't been accepted. We have taken the decision to close the account rather than continue to offer a heavily restricted service. Your account will remain open for the next 48 hours, please withdraw any balance during this time; once your account has been closed you will have to call us if you wish to withdraw any remaining funds.  We are aware that you may be unhappy with this decision and apologise for any inconvenience. Your sincerely,  Ladbrokes Customer Services Team

ha ha , had exactly that tonight, 48 hrs to claim my cash or they would make it a pain in the arse to get it......T***s....

Its painfully obvious that they only want Gamcare students in the shops and its winners down the winding road.

Wont they let you have £500,000 on big bucks next race and a coffee for old time sake

Apr 24, 2012 -- 8:30PM, bf_fananatic wrote:

Wont they let you have £500,000 on big bucks next race and a coffee for old time sake

not even 50p....still,good while it lasted...

If you start a "betting is unfair" campaign you will find that it will get hijacked by pc players complaining how unfair BF is.

What is a bigger story to the uninitiated general public the fact that some people can't get a bet on or the fact that some people are paid only 40% of their winnings?

Based on the people I know I'll go short odds that those who pay the top end premium charge would be able to engineer the debate their way.

Either way is there any difference between what BF do and what the off course firms do? If you were happy to take prices that were 40% of the current show I'm sure all shops would accomodate you.

Screaming from, I have to disagree with you regarding the tissue's,
the trend now is for books to open up the previous evening, on the competitive races
that is, then betfair slowly follow. As you know there is almost no money available
the previous evening, so you have to head to the shops, to try and get what your after.
So now with the bookies trading principles, they just tell you to f--k off.
I absolutely dispise Ladcrrokes, (i worked for them in the 80s), I done the h/cap at epsom
spent over two hours on the race, came up with a couple, was dumfounded by the 16s offered on Communicator,
made my way to the local Ladds, got refused they didn't even offer me a score e/w. Why d f--k open
and even take a single, I must off been one of the first to back it, as they were still showing 16.eh
About 3 months ago headed to the same crew, tried to have a poxy £60 ew on on borrowed wings at 25s, on the
friday night just after they opened up, no thanks.

Sorry for the duration of post.

it seems laddies are going thru their accounts this week then. i got the same this morning.

Dear Ian,
We are writing to you to let you know that we have reviewed your account.

As you will be aware until now your account has been heavily restricted and the bets that you have wished to place haven't been accepted.

We have taken the decision to close the account rather than continue to offer a heavily restricted service. Your account will remain open for the next 48 hours, please withdraw any balance during this time; once your account has been closed you will have to call us if you wish to withdraw any remaining funds.

We are aware that you may be unhappy with this decision and apologise for any inconvenience.

Your sincerely,

Ladbrokes Customer Services Team

What is needed will happen naturally via natural selective type processes(competition)

and this will be the following so the whole industry had better take note.

1....General Bookmakers will lose if they haven't already the largest share of core sports betting too exchanges.

2....The current FOBT trend will peak and hit a decline as minds sharpen and learn in time away from induced effect of quick cycle high adrenalin betting that you cant beat a machine but you can beat the habit and warn your friends, Ditto.

3....Certain popular lower ranked and less targeted by advertising promoters ,SPORTS ,will take less revenue generally from the public while top one will increase(football).

4....The Smartphone and tablet betting will increase and continue todo so.

5....Competition between exchanges will increase slowly but surely and the possibility of three major exchange companies is a strong possibility within the next 10 years as the technology is widely available .

6....Competition will eventually create better margins for customers over comms and premium charging.

7....further and many small and satellite of chains of bookmakers will close due to inefficiency of running a hard house(shop) businesses over a soft house (Internet/software)business competition fiscal pressure from other leisure forms.

IF anybody doubts any of the above predictions which many are already happening then comment the number above ans reason and lets rebate.

It seems that cuurenly the traditional form of bookmaking is reliant on over addictive gambling and FOBT revenues  as it has self destroyed and  been out competed over its core sports markets, FACT.

The concept of morphing a Track side type bookmaker operation,needing only a brolly into an exspensive high/side street shop is a failure , provides little employment and has even given bookmaking generally a abad name as at least the trackside bookmaers have still got a pair and will take big bets, just like the exchanges will.

Traditional Bookmaking now has got as little public respect and general image as a beached man-eating shark.

Are you turning this into one of your stream of consciousness threads?

Well that's that thread killed then, there are so many inaccuracies in your
assertions/assumptions, I certinly don't have the time to debate one of them,
never mind f--king seven.

Possbly only 3% of the general public know that bookmakers ban winners and close accounts, the improving interation between the general public via socail networking and other media technoligies means at some point this figure will saturate so keeep hoping and praying mr big bookmaker that this doesnt happen!

FACT

And claiming half a million was betted on big bucks by someone that wasnt paid by the said firm is complete and utter RUBBISH.

SMOKESCREEN

Why don't you stick all these comments on the thread eh.

P.S. trackside bookmakers are not viewed the same way and are an important part of track/course activity.

P.S!!! LMFAO

I have Slain many a thread, noted and apologies