Global Sports: What's the difference between a Book and a Bookmaker?

Sunday, September 23, 2012

What's the difference between a Book and a Bookmaker?

By Dan White


Bookies in the United Kingdom focus wagering on pro sports, mainly on horse racing and football; However, a wider range of lines, mostly on political elections, awards ceremonies such as The Oscars, and novelty bets are also made. Bookmaking may be legal or illegal, and may be regulated; in UK it have been both regulated and illegal, in that licenses were needed but no debts arising from gambling could be enforced through the courts. In our time, since the start of the National Lottery, it is not just legal but also contributes to the British economy, having a growth in interest with regard to the international betting sector industry. However, gambling debts were non applicable under English law until the Gambling Act 2006.

To the uninitiated, bookmakers are the people who make books. In fact, most professional sportsbooks or bookies don't have anything to do with traditional books at all. Rather, they have to do with odds. Bookmaking, as a wagering profession, has its beginnings in the horse track in 1780 and has spread from there to the football stadium, tennis court, hockey rink, and just about anywhere else there is the opportunity to put money on a predicted outcome. Presidential elections are even within their realm! Professional bookmakers are that most critically central of all gamblers, the one who posts odds, accepts wagers, and collects or pays out on bets placed. The slang term, bookie, came from the practice of filling notebooks with the records of wagers.

While many give bookies high marks for shady behavior, honesty is central piece of the profession. In fact, the honesty of the bookie is essential to the success of his or her betting operation. Gamblers have to be able to trust the odds and receive reliable payment on bets. Building a reputation as an honest bettor will also help when it is time to collect money owed. Most modern bookmakers function somewhat like actuaries. Although chalk-marked odds can be found nowadays at the track, most of the off-track wagering needs advanced calculations and swift technology.

Bookmakers do not seek to make money on any set of individual bets but rather on the systems. The aim is a balanced bookmaker where there are an equal number of lines on both sides of the wager, or by changing the sums wagered to cover the odds. If a particularly high bet comes in on one side of a given sportsbook, the sportsbook can try to balance that bet by buying bets off another sportsbook. Some also require a small tax per bet placed, especially for the online services.

Rather than being fly-by-night, the profession is both legal and well-regulated. Sportsbooks are subject to strict laws. However, they are also part of the game in the modern age. Some bookies sponsor sporting events and advertise. They have also embraced the latest technologies, as the internet makes it easier to balance books by more readily matching for and against bets on any given sport event. This further paves the way for expanded betting and brings in a bigger number in visitors, assuring that future bookmakers will be open for business. Therefore, the spread in sports betting is influenced by a lot of factors. Learning to check the odds in reference to what each team brings to the field is vital to success.




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