How can I place a bet?

Of course, to place a bet in Britain, without falling foul of the law, you must do so with a licensed bookmaker. Under normal circumstances or, in other words, COVID-19 restrictions permitting, you essentially have three options; online, in person, in a licensed betting shop, or in person, with an on-course bookmaker or the Tote.

For a good while recently betting shops were closed and racecourses devoid of spectators (though they’re now slowly gearing back up thankfully!), and hence bookmakers, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the online option has become increasingly popular in recent times. To place a bet online, you must open an account with an online bookmaker and fund that account by an appropriate payment method, such as a debit card or a digital wallet, such as Paypal or Skrill. Thereafter, you simply need to click on your selection(s), click the type of bet you wish to place and click to confirm placement.

There are sometimes additional perks that come bundled in with online bookies. For instance sign up bonuses, bet boosts, and various other offers and free bet incentives designed to lure you away from the competition. Some services, like Bet365 live racing, even let you watch free streams of races. A pretty substantial perk all things considered!

In a betting shop, the process of placing a bet largely mirrors that of online, but you need to write your selections, type of bet and stake on a betting slip, which you hand to a cashier, in return for a printed receipt. Payment is by cash or debit card. On the racecourse, you must to tell a bookmaker, or Tote cashier, the racecard number of your selection, type of bet and stake, again in return for a printed receipt. Traditionally, cash has been the ‘betting medium’ of choice on the racecourse, but debit card payments are increasingly accepted. Over the past year especially, paper money has understandably become less commonplace.