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27 Apr 12
12:20
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Date Joined:
05 Jan 10
THE RECESSION hasn’t halted the gallop of bookie John Boyle, who was the guest speaker at a coffee morning hosted by children’s charity Plan Ireland at the Mansion House on Wednesday.
Boyle laid bare his colourful life, detailing his battle with alcoholism and his journey from being sacked as a bread salesman in 1981 to becoming one of the biggest bookmakers on the island. It has a turnover this year estimated at €1.2 billion.
Boyle added 40 shops to the Boyle sports retail network last year, including 18 of the better performing stores from Ivan Yates’s failed Celtic Bookmakers.
“We’ve made a return on investment [from that deal] of 55 per cent in the first year,” Boyle says, “so that’s half my money back. It was a good buy. I got the jewels that people normally wouldn’t sell.”
Boyle also took over 15 shops from British rival William Hill, which left Ireland.
“William Hill rang me up one day and offered me 15 shops last year,” he recalls. “I thought, well I’ll have them. The last day we talked they gave me a €500,000 discount [on the price]. The return on that has been 17 per cent in three months. That has been another good deal.”
With 177 shops, Boyle is done with his retail expansion and focusing on its online operation. “I didn’t embrace it,” he admits. “Technology scared me. I’m old school, pen and paper. It’s been a slow learning curve and it’s only now that we’re cracking it.”
It will launch online in Asia ( including Macau and the Philippines) in time for the next English Premier League season. This will involve an investment of a “few million” euros with a “tailored product” for the continent.
“What they like out there is basketball and football, there’s no horses, like here.”
The Chelsea fan is bidding to become Manchester United’s betting partner in Asia. “We’d love to partner with that brand but it’s their decision in the end. They are looking at others, too.”
Boyle laid bare his colourful life, detailing his battle with alcoholism and his journey from being sacked as a bread salesman in 1981 to becoming one of the biggest bookmakers on the island. It has a turnover this year estimated at €1.2 billion.
Boyle added 40 shops to the Boyle sports retail network last year, including 18 of the better performing stores from Ivan Yates’s failed Celtic Bookmakers.
“We’ve made a return on investment [from that deal] of 55 per cent in the first year,” Boyle says, “so that’s half my money back. It was a good buy. I got the jewels that people normally wouldn’t sell.”
Boyle also took over 15 shops from British rival William Hill, which left Ireland.
“William Hill rang me up one day and offered me 15 shops last year,” he recalls. “I thought, well I’ll have them. The last day we talked they gave me a €500,000 discount [on the price]. The return on that has been 17 per cent in three months. That has been another good deal.”
With 177 shops, Boyle is done with his retail expansion and focusing on its online operation. “I didn’t embrace it,” he admits. “Technology scared me. I’m old school, pen and paper. It’s been a slow learning curve and it’s only now that we’re cracking it.”
It will launch online in Asia ( including Macau and the Philippines) in time for the next English Premier League season. This will involve an investment of a “few million” euros with a “tailored product” for the continent.
“What they like out there is basketball and football, there’s no horses, like here.”
The Chelsea fan is bidding to become Manchester United’s betting partner in Asia. “We’d love to partner with that brand but it’s their decision in the end. They are looking at others, too.”
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As much as I despise their operation and the way they treat their customers, I have to hand it to them. They get away with daylight robbery every day with their prices and knock backs, but it is working for them, so business is business.
"John Boyle Bookmaker" made me curl up. This person masquerades as a "bookie". Should not be allowed to trade under that guise.
He is either very good at what he does or its all going to end in tears
They look to be bucking big trends
A buddie of mine worked for them a couple of years ago and said he is tough to work for(which entrepreneur isn't) and that they have constant change a senior/middle management level with numerous racing/sports compilers coming and going over the years
I wonder is it all two good to be true
They look to be bucking big trends
A buddie of mine worked for them a couple of years ago and said he is tough to work for(which entrepreneur isn't) and that they have constant change a senior/middle management level with numerous racing/sports compilers coming and going over the years
I wonder is it all two good to be true
Cracking on with Retail in ireland is doomed unless FOBT's come in- can barely be covering the rent in many shops.
he's about as much chance of making an input in Asia as my arse has of farting Mozart's last symphony
There money man is nearly out jail .so he has plenty of cash to put in to them .
I Believe he drives a roller with the initials JB1...........FFS grow up and move on from the 70s
wonder when he will bring back eachway on the barkers .what a clown
Opened an account with them a while ago . No problems for a couple of months , and some of their prices were good . First 15 bets I had with them were losers , must have thought they had a mug on the line . But a month or so later when I was well up the iron curtain came down .
None of them are prepared to lay anyone who exhibits any interest in value and knows what they are about in terms of where to back and what to back . So it comes back down to excahnge operations where nobody knows about you . Anonymity is king nowadays .
But the high street operation for any bookie is doomed , doomed , doomed , to quote Dads Army man . There are fewer and fewer daily cash customers out there who are inveterate punters and bet willy nilly on everything from virtual racing to the colour of the refs underpants . No younger punters coming through as betting shop fodder .
Asia might bear some fruit , there is plenty of money about out there for various reasons , and anyone who bets in places like Hong Kong would be delighted to bet with someone who "only" takes a 10% profit . Profit margins on betting operations world wide would be much higher than here in UK and Ireland , the punters here are generally too savvy and have the benefits of open market competitiveness and unrestricted exchange operations ( B/F premium charge excepted ) .
Anyone buying shops hereabouts is bonkers . But on line might be OK , particularly when there is no form of regulation so they can make their own rules and operate to whatever standards ( or non standards ) they like . Any proper regulation would kill the bookies off completely I suspect eg if they had to bet to a certain percentage ( maximum ) and had to lay up to a stated amount at the quoted prices . And if they were unable to impose restrictions on winning punters for no valid reason .
Dynamic in play makets the way forward , but we know who has a virtual monopoly in that ( the purple one just tags along some seconds behind when the bots do their work . Followed the market on the IPL cricket for a while over last few days , dont think I saw a better price on the win market on the matches over there in the course of a few hours viewing ) . Just dont see the bookies competing with B/F on that one unless they form their own exchange .
None of them are prepared to lay anyone who exhibits any interest in value and knows what they are about in terms of where to back and what to back . So it comes back down to excahnge operations where nobody knows about you . Anonymity is king nowadays .
But the high street operation for any bookie is doomed , doomed , doomed , to quote Dads Army man . There are fewer and fewer daily cash customers out there who are inveterate punters and bet willy nilly on everything from virtual racing to the colour of the refs underpants . No younger punters coming through as betting shop fodder .
Asia might bear some fruit , there is plenty of money about out there for various reasons , and anyone who bets in places like Hong Kong would be delighted to bet with someone who "only" takes a 10% profit . Profit margins on betting operations world wide would be much higher than here in UK and Ireland , the punters here are generally too savvy and have the benefits of open market competitiveness and unrestricted exchange operations ( B/F premium charge excepted ) .
Anyone buying shops hereabouts is bonkers . But on line might be OK , particularly when there is no form of regulation so they can make their own rules and operate to whatever standards ( or non standards ) they like . Any proper regulation would kill the bookies off completely I suspect eg if they had to bet to a certain percentage ( maximum ) and had to lay up to a stated amount at the quoted prices . And if they were unable to impose restrictions on winning punters for no valid reason .
Dynamic in play makets the way forward , but we know who has a virtual monopoly in that ( the purple one just tags along some seconds behind when the bots do their work . Followed the market on the IPL cricket for a while over last few days , dont think I saw a better price on the win market on the matches over there in the course of a few hours viewing ) . Just dont see the bookies competing with B/F on that one unless they form their own exchange .
and anyone who bets in places like Hong Kong would be delighted to bet with someone who "only" takes a 10% profit .
Have u seen what the LEGAL asian books bet to? The illegals bet tighter than that, and credit. They have no chance.
Ur obv referring to horseracing which - altho massive - is a very small part of the fixed odd product. Nobody can break the HKJC Monopoly over HK Racing never mind JB1
Have u seen what the LEGAL asian books bet to? The illegals bet tighter than that, and credit. They have no chance.
Ur obv referring to horseracing which - altho massive - is a very small part of the fixed odd product. Nobody can break the HKJC Monopoly over HK Racing never mind JB1
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