What is a Bookie?
Our first post in our Bookie Tutorials page is after its namesake: The Bookie. Gaming911 has a team full of gambling experts. Naturally, a lot of them are veterans in sports betting, and are successful bookies as well. So when the question “What is a bookie” was asked, we got quite a few answers, and all of them correct (of course).
Now, a bookie is a person who takes and processes sports bets for people, in exchange of a fee. This is known by many. What was once called a bookmaker, a bookie will give his players the odds for an upcoming event, and people will place bets. The bookie will take a percentage of all of the bets.
What is a Bookie?
But a bookmaker’s job is not that easy. You see, if all of your players will bet on one side, and their bet wins, then you have to pay them their winnings. This means losing the cut, or your vig, that you collected for the game. Worst scenario, is that you have to pay out of your own pocket. Which, of course, means a loss in your business. Therefore, their job is to make sure that equal sides of a wager will get an equal number of wagers as much as possible. This eliminates risk for the bookie. Because the bets of the losing side will pay for the winners’ side. To do this, the bookie will adjust the lines, or the odds, to make it more enticing for people to place their bets on one side.
Fortunately for you, learning how to be a bookie is made easy with resources such as ours. Even more, there are software providers who actually specialize in making sportsbook software for bookies. These are called Pay Per Head sportsbooks. Their purpose is to provide you with a sportsbook software solution that will have you running your books in no time.
What is the Bookie of Today
Technology has gone a long way in helping sports betting, and bookies. While the more traditional bookie operation would be done in a notebook or ledger, today, we use software to do this. As a bookie, you will want to offer your players more events to bet on. The software will help you keep track of it. Your sportsbook software will also monitor the betting activity of each of your players. Any and all matters about your sportsbook- from players to odds, you can adjust anytime.
Our resident bookies do agree on one thing. That the bookie of today needs to be equipped with the best software for their sportsbooks. Having a well-run operation allows you, the bookie, to focus on strategy and plans to win more money. It also allows you to offer more betting opportunities for your players. So, instead of only offering NFL action, you can also throw in other sports. There is the NBA, the NHL, and any other sport event you can think of.