Odds Brothers / Bookmakers / Boylesports

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Boylesports is Ireland’s most successful independent bookmaker. They have a small collection of shops but a large part of their business is done through their online website and mobile app. It is evident from the firm’s sportsbook landing page that there are plenty of markets and sports to bet on, with horse racing and football…

What do Boylesports have to offer?

Boylesports is Ireland’s most successful independent bookmaker. They have a small collection of shops but a large part of their business is done through their online website and mobile app.

It is evident from the firm’s sportsbook landing page that there are plenty of markets and sports to bet on, with horse racing and football being the two most popular products.

A full list of the horse racing meetings in the UK and Ireland is listed on the centre of the home page with links to the betting for each race. This is something horse racing punters will appreciate as finding a particular race can be like trying to get through a maze on some betting websites.

Although it is very easy to find what you are looking for on Boylesports’ home page, the one criticism would be that it looks very busy. There is a lot of text and very few images or graphics and as a result of this, the font they use is rather small to fit everything onto the page.

Boylesports were the first to offer betting on the first assist in a football match and are one of the few firms to still price up the market. They appear to be always looking for new inventions and different ways for punters to get involved in a game.

Look out for promotions

Boylesports pride themselves on offering their customers a number of different promotions whether they are money back specials or enhancements. They have a whole page dedicated to these, so you can check before you place a bet to see if you will qualify for any of the offers.

In the past the firm have offered money back on fallers in horse racing or if your selection finishes second in selected races.

Football betting

In terms of its offering of football, Boylesports are head and shoulders above a lot of its rivals as their list includes leagues from not just across Europe, but around the world. This allows you to mix and match games from different countries in your accumulator, while on those quiet nights when there is no action in the UK, there is usually a game in Poland and Argentina for you to get involved in.

Betting in-play

In what is one of the fastest growing segments of the betting industry, Boylesports are not lagging behind when it comes to betting in play. Nearly all major sporting events are covered in-play including a number of different football and tennis matches each day. They provide a schedule of what they will be covering throughout the month, while there is a whole tab dedicated to live betting.

Ways to deposit and withdraw

At the bottom of their home page, Boylesports clearly state which methods of payment they accept. These include Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Delta, Skrill, Paypal, Neteller and a number of other ways, all listed on their site.

If you are having any problems with banking or queries regarding Boylesports, there is a live customer support facility that will put you in contact with one of their agents who can help you.

Casino and games

Like most online betting operators today, Boylesports also have a casino section on their site which features all the classic games you’d expect to find in a casino. In the majority of these games, you can try them in the demo mode for free before parting with your cash for real.

The firm also have their own in house bingo and poker services, so there are lots of ways to have a flutter through their site.

Pro’s

cons

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How do bookmakers work?

    Bookmakers are traditionally known as the ‘accountants of the horse racecourse’ and this is for good reason. They take money as stakes on various outcomes of a race or contest and they pay out money to those who predicted the outcome correctly.

    The aim of this ‘accountant’ is of course so that when the balance sheet is drawn up, a profit has been made by the bookmaker. To achieve this, they try to offer odds that are actually smaller than the probability of the outcome actually turning out that way.

    The odds offered by the Bookmakers when a given event is added up are therefore higher than 100%.

  • How are odds determined by Bookmakers?

    If a bookmaker offered odds of, say, 6/5, it would always be to the bettor’s advantage. You would then bet, say, £50 on ‘heads’ and £50 on tails and you would make a profit regardless of the result. Bookmakers are, of course, far too smart to let this happen. However, it is possible that comparing odds at bookmakers can create such a win/win situation.

  • How are the odds determined for a particular event?

    Below is an example of how prices are set based on the nature of the event. Let’s take two horse races, same venue, same type of race.

    Race 1: Big well-known race, well-known names competing, high stakes spread across the various player. Bookmakers can then compile odds easily and without much adjustment.

    Race2: Small race, with unknown participants. Is unlikely to generate as many stakes, so betting a high amount on 1 horse causes more headaches for the Bookmakers than race 1. To secure the Bookmaker’s margin, the odds per horse will go down, to have a higher ‘over-round’ percentage overall, so this acts as a buffer for the Bookmaker.

  • Why do bookmakers restrict your accounts?

    Bettors like to have multiple accounts because it ensures they get the best price on all their bets. It can be very frustrating to see your accounts very restricted or even closed. The official reason for restricting accounts is almost always a ‘trading decision’; actually, it is the reasons below that make your accounts get tackled.

  • Are there any bets that bookmakers don’t like?

    Bookies love it when you place multiple bets. That’s why they offer so many enhancements (odds that are increased in between) and money-back specials with multiple bets. After all, any kind of bet with more than one outcome reduces your chances of winning.

    Although you get a few wins from these bets; the bookies will generally leave you alone because they assume they are going to make money from you in the long run.

    There are some bets that bookmakers dislike, such as singles, for example. Or bad each way bets (each way bets in races where a short priced favourite is running and bettors are more likely to take advantage of the market) and each way bets on relatively short priced selections (3 on 1 or 4 on 1 shots).

    These are some examples of bets that bookmakers are not happy about and – even if you are losing – can cause restrictions on your account

  • What does it mean when your account has never been restricted?

    Don’t worry if you have never had to deal with bookmaker restrictions. Be happy! Most gamblers bet for fun and usually the amounts involved are so small that bookmakers are not worried at all. Besides, most punters lose regularly or bet on the type of bets bookmakers love (especially multiples).

  • Is it fair for the bookmaker to restrict my account?

    Don’t forget that a bookmaker runs a commercial business. That is why bookmakers make sure their terms and conditions allow them to restrict big winners at any time.

    Naturally, it would be much fairer for bookmakers to treat their big losing customers the same as their big winning bettors. The chances of this happening are slim, especially since the government has no legislation on the matter.

    It is relatively easy for bookmakers to monitor customers so having restrictions imposed on them is unfortunately one of the things to consider when gambling.

  • How do I prevent my account from being restricted?

    Of course, ideally you should not have to deal with restrictions from bookmakers. So the question is, can you do anything about this or are you powerless? There are some things you can do to reduce the chances of restrictions. We have put them here for you, take advantage of them!

    • Set rounded amounts
      The more arbitrary your bets are, the more you will resemble an arber. Arbers bet with exact amounts to guarantee their winnings. Betting with 40 euros instead of 39.99 makes you look more like a real gambler. Whether you are or not…
    • Write off money
      Don’t write off your money from your account too often. Make sure it doesn’t look like you have a regular betting bank, because the more strategy the bookies think they see in you, the more likely they are to restrict your accounts. If you’re winning; let your balance go up.
    • Lose!
      Believe us, this advice is not as weird as it sounds.
      If you have a good run in an account and it’s all running smoothly, back some selections that they lose and then trade them on the exchanges. Of course, make sure your potential debts do not exceed your potential profits.