1,000 to 1

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

Went in to the local bookies (Ladbrokes) on Wednesday and asked for odds on Southend winning the Premiership title by the end of the 2025/26 season.

Not surprisingly they didn't have the odds to hand and told me to come back on Saturday. So in I go this afternoon all expectant of odds of 1,000,000 to 1 or more and what do I get? A miserly 1,000 to 1. Even I'm not daft enough to have some of that. I'd sooner bet on the family hound becoming the first astronaut to Mars at those odds.

Me thinks those nice little turf accountant folk have got a tad cautious after getting foxed by Leicester fans.

Or have Ladbrokes looked inside Uncle Ron's war chest and seen something no one else has?

:smile:

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Went in to the local bookies (Ladbrokes) on Wednesday and asked for odds on Southend winning the Premiership title by the end of the 2025/26 season.

Not surprisingly they didn't have the odds to hand and told me to come back on Saturday. So in I go this afternoon all expectant of odds of 1,000,000 to 1 or more and what do I get? A miserly 1,000 to 1. Even I'm not daft enough to have some of that. I'd sooner bet on the family hound becoming the first astronaut to Mars at those odds.

Me thinks those nice little turf accountant folk have got a tad cautious after getting foxed by Leicester fans.

Or have Ladbrokes looked inside Uncle Ron's war chest and seen something no one else has?

:smile:

You could write a book on Ron war chest :winking:

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

It all depends on what bookies you ask. You also have to rely on Southend being promoted twice before 2026. That will be a miracle in itself, and the Championship is the toughest League. All those much bigger clubs, splashing the cash to get into the Premiership. So you really should have got a Million to one to get promoted twice and win the Premiership. Trouble is that most bookies are run by former accountants these days and they are much more into making a bigger profit by giving rubbish and unfair odds.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Went in to the local bookies (Ladbrokes) on Wednesday and asked for odds on Southend winning the Premiership title by the end of the 2025/26 season.

Not surprisingly they didn't have the odds to hand and told me to come back on Saturday. So in I go this afternoon all expectant of odds of 1,000,000 to 1 or more and what do I get? A miserly 1,000 to 1. Even I'm not daft enough to have some of that. I'd sooner bet on the family hound becoming the first astronaut to Mars at those odds.

Me thinks those nice little turf accountant folk have got a tad cautious after getting foxed by Leicester fans.

Or have Ladbrokes looked inside Uncle Ron's war chest and seen something no one else has?

:smile:

Bookmakers have been making a lot of fuss about Leicester being 5,000/1 (in places; some firms were about half those odds, although as a percentage chance, that's still tiny) at the start of the Prem season.

Plenty of crocodile tears about monster payouts, but they've been laughing all season, given the way the 'big' sides have been dropping points week in week out.

This Leicester story has also given them a convenient way of no longer laying stuff at bumper odds. Your scenario probably should be priced up at 1,000,000/1 or more, but now 'because Leicester' they'll be churning out far less juicy prices for the big outsiders.

 

[southend4ever]

Just have to add a few extra zero's to the bet placed.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Bookmakers have been making a lot of fuss about Leicester being 5,000/1 (in places; some firms were about half those odds, although as a percentage chance, that's still tiny) at the start of the Prem season.

Plenty of crocodile tears about monster payouts, but they've been laughing all season, given the way the 'big' sides have been dropping points week in week out.

This Leicester story has also given them a convenient way of no longer laying stuff at bumper odds. Your scenario probably should be priced up at 1,000,000/1 or more, but now 'because Leicester' they'll be churning out far less juicy prices for the big outsiders.

Spot on. Also, the bookies cleaned up with all the big backers and professional gamblers who would have put lumps on Chelsea, Man C, Man U, to win the Premiership. They also take a lot of smaller bets of £50 and under on the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal. The bookies love to go on about the big payouts for small money on Leicester, but there wasn't many. A friend who works in a bookie call center, said they had their record profit year ever in football bets, because of Leicester winning it.

 

[southendkid]

Trouble is that most bookies are run by former accountants these days and they are much more into making a bigger profit by giving rubbish and unfair odds.

That's always been the case hasn't it? If bookies offered fair odds they'd quickly go out of business since they wouldn't make any profit.

 

[MK Shrimper]

As Danny Baker says - in betting shops you have 5+ paying in windows and one paying out window.

 

[southend4ever]

Thanks MK. That's helpful.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Thanks MK. That's helpful.

Thanks! You are so very welcome. :thumbsup:

 

[Uncle Leo]

Interesting blog here from Coral's Head of Football.

https://gemsandrhinestones.com/2016/05/04/why-did-bookmakers-lose-on-leicester/

PS. going to move this to BetZone....

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

That's always been the case hasn't it? If bookies offered fair odds they'd quickly go out of business since they wouldn't make any profit.

No it hasn't always been the case. The bookies used to be run by proper bookies before the mid Seventies. They worked on much smaller profit margins. Also in them days they accepted that some punters will beat them over a year and saw it as good advertisement. As long as most people lost over the year, they were O.K. about winners. Nowadays if you show you are a winning punter over a year, you will be heavily restricted to tiny bets, or have your account shut down.

 

[Uncle Leo]

No it hasn't always been the case. The bookies used to be run by proper bookies before the mid Seventies. They worked on much smaller profit margins. Also in them days they accepted that some punters will beat them over a year and saw it as good advertisement. As long as most people lost over the year, they were O.K. about winners. Nowadays if you show you are a winning punter over a year, you will be heavily restricted to tiny bets, or have your account shut down.

I agree about 'proper bookies' and how account restrictions have become absurd but margins are far more in the customer's favour now.

E.g. as recently as 2000, football punters used to have to place a minimum of a five-fold if they wanted to back home teams. Now customers can have singles on almost any conceivable event. Similarly, in horse racing it just a race to the bottom these days with bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed, money back for fallers, free bets if your selection is beaten by a head, etc. etc.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I agree about 'proper bookies' and how account restrictions have become absurd but margins are far more in the customer's favour now.

E.g. as recently as 2000, football punters used to have to place a minimum of a five-fold if they wanted to back home teams. Now customers can have singles on almost any conceivable event. Similarly, in horse racing it just a race to the bottom these days with bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed, money back for fallers, free bets if your selection is beaten by a head, etc. etc.

Absolutely superb offers, if only they would let you enjoy them longer. They are designed to catch as many mug punters in their net as possible. And then the winning ones, they let go.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Absolutely superb offers, if only they would let you enjoy them longer. They are designed to catch as many mug punters in their net as possible. And then the winning ones, they let go.

They do...as long as you chuck away all your winnings on the casino once racing has finished!

 

[Grayson]

They do...as long as you chuck away all your winnings on the casino once racing has finished!

BetVictor very kindly always only close my sport account when they wave goodbye, and actively tell me that I can still use their eGaming services. Lovely bunch.

 

[Uncle Leo]

BetVictor very kindly always only close my sport account when they wave goodbye, and actively tell me that I can still use their eGaming services. Lovely bunch.

Same with Boyles. Spivs.