R.I.P The on course Bookmaker.

Most of us are currently looking for that tighter belt hole we never used before, some found and started using that hole before us. I speak of the small bookmakers. Those angry old men with satchels as weather beaten as their faces standing shouting odds and using hand signals only they and John McCririck understand. They are a common feature at all race course's since the dawn of time. They simply offer fixed odds on win or each way bets on the outcome of the race. Their job is to win more money then they lose, but their industry , like many others, has taken a technological twist. To many this is old news. The advent of the betting exchange is nothing new. These web site's which allows users to be both the bookie and the punter have revolutionized the industry. These sites simply bring together users from all over the world to bet against each other effectively cutting out the bookmaker. For the last two years these sites have started to have a real effect on the small time bookie.
On a trip home from a cold night at the Clonmel races, one bookmaker told me he only made €775 on the first 6 races barely covering expenses, on the final race he was unable to lay the favourite @ 6/4 even though most where only offering evens. A quick glance at the betting exchanges on his Laptop showed an offer to lay @ 6/4. A click of the button later and he had his bet. The favourite lost the race and the bookie won. He made the point to me it wasn't worth his while coming to the track he made €1500 from his venture on the internet, which he could of done with his feet up in front of the fire at home.
Another point made was the apparent absent of the big bets from the bigger meetings, once upon a time the big punter would enter the ring and a nod or a whisper in the ear of one of the big bookies would place a big bet. The big bookies more often then not would hedge their bet by placing smaller bets with many of the smaller bookies, so in effect all bookies in the ring would get a piece of the big bet. That has all changed and now the big bookie doesn't turn to the small bookies they simply go on-line and lay it off. This was the point of the bookmaker shivering in the front seat of my car. My point that the big punters are leaving out the bookies all together and using the internet was meet with silence.

It's not surprising these weathered men are joining the dinosaurs and the dodo. The times have moved past them and they simply haven't tried to keep up. Their win and each way bet is over shadowed by all their competitors even the Tote offers more variety.
There simply are no advantages to going to the course to meet a bookie, your choice seems to be that of the dripping wet bookie in my car, stay at home in front of the fire or come to a cold dark wet Clonmel on a Thursday night. That is the future, anyone looking for the professional gambler will be at a loss looking on course or even in their local betting shop, the real professionals are at home sitting beside the fire watching a large screen T.V and pouring over a laptop. As for my shivering friend he may for go the cost of his bookmakers licence and set up stall in his living room.

The big name bookmakers i.e. Those that own all the betting shops, will still be hear at least for a while. Their main income will come from their betting office's around the country. Their customers will be the casual punters who are only interested in a casual bet at their own convenience. It won't be long until someone figures away to connect these punters to the exchanges. Already several exchange type high street shops are already open in the United Kingdom to varying degrees of success. The days of the on course bookmaker are soon coming to an end. As for my shivering friend he will have to go back to his armchair and join the growing revolution on-line.