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Hi All,
I’ve been punting a fair while, like many of us, I’m sure.
Today, in my local bookies something very strange happened…
I walked in about 4pm and saw my mate there. We had a chat as usual and punted a few races and then he called me over. Being a wily old fox, he subtly pointed me towards the 5.00 Greyville race in South Africa.
The bookies screen showed the runners as “going behind” and “bet now” but the race was off. As we watched it he suggested putting a bet on the winner to see if we could get paid as the screen had still not put “off.”
We watched the winner towards the line, Come on Sparky 5/2 2f, and I quickly wrote out £20 win and went up and put it on. While I put it on I tried to distract the 2 girls at the counter from watching the winning replay or hearing the result called over the sepakers. The shop is fairly big and the racing screens are away from the counter at an angle.
The bet went through….
I then waited about 20 mins for the result to come through on the screens with the SP (it usually takes time with foreign racing and I did not want the cashier looking for a price or scrutinisng the bet too much)
She paid me my £70 winnings and the betting screen in the shop had an offical off time of a few mins <i>after </i> the time on my slip.
So, for some reason the info from SIS was coming through <i>very</i> late onto the bookies screens. (I assume that is how it works – the pictures were from turf TV)
As you can imagine, I was starting to see serious pound signs in my eyes <!– s:lol: –>
<!– s:lol: –>The next race was the 5.30 and had nine runners. So, 10 mins before the off I wrote out win slips for each horse ranging from £20 to £40 depending on how big the odds were. I did not want to raise suspicion by suddenly lumping on £130 on a race in South Africa. £20 is a fair bet for me and I have never put more than £50 on a beast.
My friend and I watched the race and saw Let the Music Play win at 33/102f.
I put the £40 bet on just as it reached the finishing line and nothing was said at the counter. I also kept the girl, who was taking my bet, busy by requesting lots of prices for any football match over the next week. There were a few on her mini monitor and I kept on asking her the various prices for teams to draw/win and lose. All this went on while they were replaying the race on the screens and the result was being confirmed over the speakers.
This time, though, the data screens seemed to be updating quicker. And I think my slip was late by poss 1-2 mins.
I waited nervously to see if I would get paid out again.
20mins later I went to pick the bet up as the result had filtered through to the screens.
The girl said it was late, but only in a matter of fact way, and she then worked it out and paid me my £172.00 “winnings.”
Well, at this stage I was starting to think of the yacht I was going to purchase next week – there were still 5 races to go from Greyville!
I prepared as before; writing all the runners of the next race, the 6.00pm which had 15 runners.
Sadly, this time the data screen said “off” at the right time and there was no delay in it being updated.
“Oh well” I thought, there’s the next race and I can really go for it.
There was no next race…
Sure, there were more races from Greyville scheduled, but no prices were ever shown and no picture were coming through.
Maybe someone could confirm if the betting shops were due to show the last 4 races at Greyville?
My feeling is that someone, somewhere at this large chain of bookies rumbled what was going on and they pulled the plug.
I made about £180 quid with bets that were guaranteed winners and gave my mate £40, as without him I would never have spotted the “opportunity.”
In retrospect, I wish I had lumped on £130 – all the money that was in my wallet – but part of me wondered if that might have made them check the race “off”, slip times etc
I have never experienced this before and, frankly it felt goo! (I’m not going to pretend otherwise)
In the battle of punter V bookie I have little sympathy for the latter.
I saw two 16 runner handicaps today become 15 runners…as others have intimated, that is out of order. (certainly imho)
Has anyone else had any experiences like this in the bookies? Where you have seen an opportunity that you could exploit?
Zip,
Ps, As a footnote – strangely, that same mate who helped me with my min-coup <!– s:shock: –>
<!– s:shock: –> was also the recipient of £270 when he had £60 on Trap 1 at Romford at 5/4 only for Trap 2 to chin it in a photo finish.However, the SIS result screens showed that Trap 1 had won and trap 2 was second – they also gave the price of Trap 1 as 7/2 (the actual price of Trap 2! who was the real winner)
My mate quickly picked up the dosh as the in-house commentators in the shop were saying “hold the result” and then left.
Good luck next time you enter your famed local bookies. Perhaps you can use this forum to pen a Seagull-esque "Open Letter" to the shop manager when he bans you.
Brilliant. I remember a lad telling me about a scam he used to pull way back before computer timed dockets or anything high tech. Basically they used to distract the counter staff for a few moments during which time the stamp which would be used to indicate the time of bet placement would be procured and altered by a minute or so before being returned to its place. This would allow them to back winners in dog races with the docket stamped at just before the off.
That’s the good thing, most of the time if it is a bookies error or an industry error once they have paid the bets that is it – there is no comeback against the punter.
Obviously that dogscam may be slightly diff Firefox
Good to hear the bookie sticking to the 7/4 as it was his error, Mickey.
Zip
I was in Ladbrokes a few months ago and fancied a horse that was favourite, I scribbled the bet down as the screen hadn’t said ‘race off’, even thought they had just started, they’d raced about a furlong when I reached the counter, I thought it was strange that I was still allowed to bet, as the assistant didn’t say sorry, the race has started, and simply put it through.
Th horse won at 5/2 I think, yet when I went to claim the win they said my bet was void, I argued the case that it’s not my fault if they make an error and don’t get the ‘race off’ sign up in time, she said it’s done by a central office and not the local branch, so they have no control over it, I said (very politely throughout) well it doesn’t matter who does or doesn’t do it, if Ladbrokes don’t get the ‘race off’ sign up in time, then surely that is Ladbroke’s error, and they should honour any winning bets! (Let’s be honest it doesn’t happen often.)
Funnily enough Statto was in the bookies, so I asked his advice, they had offered to pay me half the winnings if I remember right, he said I should take it (I can hear some of you now, saying that’s what you get for listening to Statto lol), so I took it and walked away, annoyed though, as when I placed the bet none of the horses were in a favourable position, it was a 1m 2f race I think, I strongly believe if a bookie doesn’t have the race off in time, and the person behind the counter actually takes the bet rather than using their initiative and looking at the screen and saying sorry, the race has started, then they should pay out in full!
I wish I’d had Getzippy’s luck that day!
an OAP had £2 on cee cee rider yesterday when it had already fallen,
best £2 I ever won feel really greatBarry, that’s disgusting!!!!
Bit of a stretch to compare a high street bookie with an O.A.P. though, surely?!
Colin
BARRY DENNIS
There is no way you would stitch up an oap ,NOT WITH ALL THOSE BIG BET’S FLYING AROUND IN YOUR SHOP YOU DO’NT NEED TO. YOU DO’NT SEE THAT KIND OF MONEY IN THE BETTING SHOP’S DOWN THE ROAD , UNLESS YOU ARE LAYING THE BET OFF.HAVE TO SAY YOU HAVE ALL WAY’S BEEN FAIR WITH A BACK PRICE.
I know bookmakers ‘steal’ money by legitimate means, but I have no admiration for punters who steal from bookmakers by unfair means.
No wonder this country is going down the pan when dishonesty is applauded.
A great shame.
Yes, when the sort of action described by getzippy is applauded it makes you wonder about the validity of this forum and about whether you still want to be part of it.
I have worked in a betting office (10 years off and on) and I know how bad some bookmakers can be, but I could never condone the actions described above.
Colin
Have to say I agree with the last few posts on this.
Knowingly doing what you did is theft and should not be applauded.
Just to throw another slant on things, what if it was later picked up in the bookies and one of the lasses was accused of being a part of the theft and lost her job because of it, would you be feeling happy with yourself then?
The good thing about bookies is theres always another one round the corner…..
Not in my town.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
So what about when horses that are left in ante post list after being declared non runners and the unsuspecting punter puts his money down or when ladbrokes put up early prices 10 minutes before the race starts but do not notify the unsuspecting public that they are early prices , we all no that most of the time the opening show will be better. How do you regard that ,as business or theft.
<!– s:lol: –>
<!– s:shock: –> was also the recipient of £270 when he had £60 on Trap 1 at Romford at 5/4 only for Trap 2 to chin it in a photo finish.
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