How to Place a Football Bet in an Actual Betting Shop

Online sports betting has increased dramatically over the past few years. It seems that everywhere you look there is some sort of advertisement for various online sportsbooks, each with their own special offers.

However, with approximately 9,000 betting shops still operating in the United Kingdom, it’s obvious that some people still prefer the somewhat old fashioned way of going into a betting shop and filling out an actual slip.

What is a Betting Shop?

Even if you’re new to gambling, you more than likely know what a betting shop is. If you do not, here is a brief description.

Basically, a betting shop is somewhere you can legally place a bet in person with a licensed bookmaker. They are often called bookies.

If you are new to gambling, please check out our beginners guide to football betting.

What does a Betting Shop Look Like?

If you’ve never stepped foot inside a betting shop, it may be a daunting prospect. However, it’s not as bad as you may think.

Inside a betting shop, there will usually be horse racing listings pinned to the wall or on noticeboards. There will also be large screen TV’s with up-to-date betting information and live sports, machines (either to play games such as roulette or to find out betting information), tables and chairs to make yourself comfortable, and several different types of betting slip placed in holders all around the shop.

You’ll also see staff members behind a glass or plastic fronted desk, who will be there to take your bets and pay out any winnings you accumulate.

How Do I Place a Football Bet?

Firstly, you need to locate the area of the betting shop dedicated to football. You can either ask a member of staff to point you in the right direction, or look for anything promoting football.

There will usually be posters advertising the latest special offers on the big match, with the football betting slips located somewhere near those.

Once you’ve found where the slips are kept, you just need to select the one(s) that show the bet you want to place. There will be several dedicated slips to choose from, for a wide range of different bets including accumulators, both teams to score, half-time result, and over/under 2.5 goals.

Different betting shops will have different names for their pre-designed slips which may promote the same type of bet. For example, a both teams to score slip may be called “Goals Galore” at one and “Goals Frenzy” at another.

You’ll also find blank slips so you can write out a bet the shop doesn’t have on one of their main slips.

Will the Betting Shop Have Statistics to Help Me Choose Who to Bet On?

Unfortunately, most betting shops don’t provide newspapers or internet access for you to check the latest statistics.

You may be expected to know who you want to back beforehand, or take a newspaper or device with you to check for yourself. Or, you could always pick up the slips in advance and take them with you to fill in at your leisure.

Luckily, because The Footy Tipster is a progressive web app it will work even if the shop has terrible signal.

How Do I Fill Out a Betting Slip?

To place a bet in a betting shop, you will need to fill out a slip but don’t worry because it’s not a complicated procedure.

The set slips will have instructions on them. These will tell you where to put a cross or line to select your betting option, where to mark to select type of bet, and they usually even have boxes to tick to show how much you want to bet.

If you’re filling out a blank slip, you just need to clearly state the bet you want to place, For example:

“Diego Costa to score first and Chelsea to beat Arsenal 2-1 after 90 minutes.”

Staff in the betting shop will give you the odds for your chosen selection, which you can ask them to write on the slip for you, and then all you need to do is write your stake, or amount you want to bet.

Once your slips are filled in, you take them to the cashier and they will place the bet for you, take your money and then hand you a receipt.

Make sure you check the receipt after placing your bet, to ensure it is exactly what you wanted, and be careful not to lose it because you will need it to collect any winnings.

What Do I Do if I Win?

If your bet comes in, you simply need to take your winning slip to the betting shop and the cashier will give you the amount of money you’ve won.

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