empty shops

All dead or skint, anyone under 30 bets on their phone.

realised they were betting 13/2 shots at 4/1 ??

and were therefore bound to lose.  long term.

I don't like going in em, make me feel a bit seedy like them 70s sex shops.

You still got that blow up doll saddo?

No, she left me

Get a silicone one, they are too heavy to get out the door.

Mine was a big let down every Saturday

Annual turnover of horse race betting Great Britain 2008-2022
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 19, 2023
Over the past decade the turnover from off course horse race betting in the United Kingdom (UK) has significantly decreased from 5.74 billion British pounds in 2009 to roughly three billion in March 2022. A similar trend can be seen with off course dog race betting. The significant drop in turnover in 2020 was likely a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on sporting events.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/469783/gambling-turnover-horses-in-great-britain-betting-uk/#:~:text=Annual%20turnover%20of%20horse%20race%20betting%20Great%20Britain%202008%2D2022&text=Over%20the%20past%20decade%20the,three%20billion%20in%20March%202022.


Truth is that were it not for the crack-cocaine machines there'd be far fewer betting shops around than currently trade.
Two large shops within spitting distance of me are empty. First one to blink is gone.

On a serious note: the decline began when smoking was banned in the shops. Before the ban, tables in my local Laddies were always occupied, immediately following the imposition, sit where you like.

MT shops means MT pockets

Even the crackheads and knuckle draggers understand taking the bookies prices are well under what you can get on the machine.

Undercut prices and cant even have a lung chucker, whatever next.

The racing is by and large rubbish. Who, bar those who can't go a day without betting, wants to bet on it? But every other reason possible is trotted out bar the obvious.

i posted i went into a city centre bookies to watch the 420 at royal ascot on friday

thats not "rubbish", thats one of the highlights of the racing calendar. 

2 non-staff in the premises, one fixated by the fobt and one watching the race. 

welcome to royal ascot 2023.

Went into Laddies in Acomb York yesterday around 10 am -noone else in . Into Billies in York City Centre today around noon. One other  person in the shop .
At least I could read the RP in depth without someone hovering.

one of the biggest problems horse racing has at the moment is the off time  .
And this time is never respected.off time now means 15 mins or so after the official time.
the horse racing industry has no respect for the general public

Unsustainable so plenty more shops going to be closing soon enough, they would all be closed already but for the machines.

very few people under the age of 55 have an interest in horse racing.

MJK
The racing was poor yesterday but the shop took more money than last tuesday  re the first day of Ascot.the truth was was there was just nobody in those Hills lads and Freds town centre shops.Joes went 2 years ago.

there is a william hill in camden there was about 50 people in and out all day , thay but an a new woman working in there she did not know what is doing , now thay all go to paddy power

Covid killed it for me.

Use to go in to the local Laddies most Saturdays or on the way to the pub to watch the first race, read a bit of the post or put a couple of bets on if they were top price.

Suddenly you struggle to think of reasons for going in other than it just being a habit.

betting 2 points under here on something which the majority of the population, rightly or wrongly, perceive as being not the straightest of gambling mediums.

it will be very interesting to see what happens to gambling when the new digital euro arrives in october

Very vey rarely go into a shop but i honestly could not believe how quiet they were and they used to be the firms flagship shops.

racing now generally viewed the same way as big daddy and giant haystacks were back on world of sport.  they're hitting each other, but they're not really and the result was agreed in the dog and duck car park on the way to the venue. 

snooker should be too.  if it isn't.

Anybody remember Ceefax?

Die Linke
Sad to say i used to watch in the early hours on a late Sunday evening when i had sold the points on the American football.
Ronnie.

Jun 28, 2023 -- 9:03PM, hulk23 wrote:

i posted i went into a city centre bookies to watch the 420 at royal ascot on fridaythats not "rubbish", thats one of the highlights of the racing calendar.

Plenty have got out of the habit so don't bother when a big meeting comes around save for Cheltenham or one of the other big NH festivals.  Plenty more have packed it in due to being sick of the cheating. Out of six of my mates and me who were regular racing punters only two of us still bet on the horses, the other four just do the football and golf  I'm sure there's a good percentage out there who have done likewise.  And none of these are being replaced by new punters.

The gambling game is in the winter of its life.
Very soon AI will have a bot to beat a gambling bot and will hoover up everything.
And 95% of people don't realize what is coming down the track.
check AI On the internet if you don't believe me

Auto bet settling software helped to kill the bookies, before that mangers had more responsibility to
say when a punter was "on" or not. When the software came into use number crunchers in head offices said look
at all these bets/prices on after x seconds, they should be void/payout reduced.This pushed huge amounts of punters away.

MJK 28 Jun 23 20:57 
The racing is by and large rubbish.

and that makes any difference?

Noobile
Sad to say machine says no.

Exactly that Ronnie, plenty of race by race punters sickened off by this.

Also gives free range for the staff to use this excuse for unpopular (but profitable for firm) punters.

Jun 28, 2023 -- 10:11PM, Rico-Dangleflaps wrote:

MJK 28 Jun 23 20:57

Of course it does. If it didn't then wouldn't all those who only bet o  the likes of Cheltenham bet every other day?

Noobile
Corals staff can still pay any bet up to a ton using there own discretion. you would be amazed how many wont.

Can imagine Ronnie. Its not just in betting shops though, its everywhere. Time was you would comment when you had bad service
somewhere, now find myself saying "She/he was very good". Society's gone to pot.

Noobile
Very sad to say most lbos the customer service is shocking cant stop off to bed a full day  coming up.
Hope you are well.
Ronnie.

Cheers Ronnie all the best mate

Managed shops 40 Years Back Punters were in taking their Regular Position by the first Race Papers spread out ,**** in Ash Trays .. Prior to that the Morning Punter putting their bets on for the Afternoon or a Lucky Dog punter collecting winnings from the Night before ,That I had probably not Settled ..

We live in a Diffo world ,so many Pubs gone ,Back in the Day Shop next to a decent boozer Well busy weekend or Big meetings and a few in from boozer week days

Sadly everyone now has a bookmaker  in their Pocket ..

Freds down the Road from me still gets a few old School in , but numbers dwindling ,Hills across the Road like a morgue ,Corals not much Better

Lads shop long gone

Sadly probably more **** in the bogs than ashtrays these days I would think

Some guys forget that paddy is the biggest share holder in betfair.

PADDY RULES,END OF STORY

We know the shops have been empty for years now , how are any still open? Nearly all of their business must be online?

In Stevenage Old Town High St we have a Betfreds, Ladbrokes, ****, and Hills all on the same side of the road and all within 200 metres of each other and the High Street itself is only 460 metres long. Bonkers.

I still pop into a Corals a couple of times a week (force of habit) when we go food shopping. No longer willing to make a coffee (machine always out of order), it was horrible anyway. The prices rubbish so never bet in there. Most of the time there are a couple of punters putting bets down and since lockdown hardly anybody playing the fobts. The bookie is often a lone worker. Since I've lived where I live, in two small towns all the bookies have closed and they both now have none. I'm amazed they can still keep going.

Corals (and Ladbrokes) have policies that refer to their use of facial recognition technology and my understanding they track exactly what a customer is betting and how much they are losing across all sites. Info is flagged up on screen when you walk in so they can perform "Frictionless player protection checks".

20yr ago most takeaways were busy in house...

now,deserted.

Storm alert tell the lazy gets to put the kettle on shop makes 20 cups a day for the customers.

The fact is that society as a whole has changed not just Betting offices, at their peak in the 60/70/80s most working men were still working in physically intensive jobs(not careers) and were kn@ckered when they finished their shift in a factory, building site or whatever. The only leisure activities after work were to go in the pub for a few pints to relax and go into the bookies for a punt.
   There wasn't much racing on TV back then either, now many people don't even go to a place of work and can work from home, you can buy all your drinks from supermarkets far cheaper than the pub if your local hasn't closed and bet from the comfort of your own home and watch every race if you so wish. Also there are a lot more leisure activities to do, go to the gym, golf, tennis, squash whatever, can watch TV all day if you want, a lot of people play computer games etc, it's a whole new world.
   Also we are becoming a cashless society, so as with all progress Betting offices are disappearing and the people bemoaning it are the modern day luddites, you have to accept change and move with it or you get left behind.
   Listening to some of my pals last night at our regular Snooker night, it's like they are still living in the 50/60s, one old fella 80 now still banging on about Frank Sinatra being the greatest singer ever, no good singers now he reckons, Ed Sheerans rubbish, Adele's rubbish etc. Pandora on here banging on about The Beatles etc, you need to move with the times.
   Nostalgia is great, we all had a favourite time in our lives, mine would be mid 60s to late 70s and fondly remember the music, fashion, holidays, clubs etc  just don't try to still live in it.

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Tiger Tiger
Tiger Tiger28 Jun 23 20:08Joined: 14 Jul 09 | Topic/replies: 22,621 | Blogger: Tiger Tiger's blog
You still got that blow up doll saddo?





Think I got her twin sister

*saddo

Back in the days manager of shop knew the time of
day and like publicans of the time had a bit
about them so they could strike up a conversation.

Shops today seem soulless and not many managers
you would talk to about racing or sports betting.

There are one or two, and, their shops seem
busier.

I guess good managers must be worth their weight in gold
yet have been driven out by a rush to fobt and bingo.