As the betting exchanges such as Betfair continue to take more and more custom from the traditional Bookmakers in the UK, there are concerns that the Bookmaking industry, which has been around for generations, will soon be unrecognisable and in danger of collapse. It seems as though the new flock of gamblers are happy to place their bets online with more and more looking at betting exchanges rather than traditional names such as Ladbrokes and William Hill.
While the government has pushed new laws through over the last couple of years in order to ‘level the playing field’ for Bookmakers and the betting exchanges, many believe that more needs to be done. However, there seems little more that the government can do without cries of protectionism at the expense of the exchanges.
Times are changing in the gambling industry and while many of the smaller Bookmakers have been around for some years they are finding margins being reduced on a constant basis. Many of the smaller shops are being forced to take larger than normal gambles on their books, risking not only money but the future of many establishments.
It will be interesting to see how the situation pans out over the coming months and years with many hopeful that the traditional elements of the industry can still be retained in some way.
As the betting exchanges such as Betfair continue to take more and more custom from the traditional Bookmakers in the UK, there are concerns that the Bookmaking industry, which has been around for generations, will soon be unrecognisable and in danger of collapse. It seems as though the new flock of gamblers are happy to place their bets online with more and more looking at betting exchanges rather than traditional names such as Ladbrokes and William Hill.