Does your town have one?
Have you ever been in? Placed a bet there?
Do you know people who use them?
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I've only ever been in one twice - both times due to supporting someone to go there (I was at work).
What a bizarre experience - and not a good one
Although it was furnished nicely and clean it came across, somehow, as uncomfortable. For me anyway.
A male exclusive environment, quiet atmosphere, stools and benches and a raft of tv screens.
Zero atmosphere - it was a solitary and personal hobby
Syd posted:They lower the tone....
Despite their efforts they remain seedy places
Saint posted:I've only ever been in one twice - both times due to supporting someone to go there (I was at work).
What a bizarre experience - and not a good one
Although it was furnished nicely and clean it came across, somehow, as uncomfortable. For me anyway.
A male exclusive environment, quiet atmosphere, stools and benches and a raft of tv screens.
Zero atmosphere - it was a solitary and personal hobby
Full of tension and losers.....
I have never, ever stepped foot in one.
It seemed to be filled with a bunch of down-on-their-luck sad desperados
Yes, we've got a fair few and I have visited them in the past but I don't now. I just get my brother to put my bets on for me but as I'm out of work at the minute and don't have a lot of money this has been curtailed for a while
Saint posted:I've only ever been in one twice - both times due to supporting someone to go there (I was at work).
What a bizarre experience - and not a good one
Although it was furnished nicely and clean it came across, somehow, as uncomfortable. For me anyway.
A male exclusive environment, quiet atmosphere, stools and benches and a raft of tv screens.
Zero atmosphere - it was a solitary and personal hobby
Oh no it isn't. There are plenty of women get in the ones I know 
Saint posted:It seemed to be filled with a bunch of down-on-their-luck sad desperados
My brother is far from that, have you been in one recently?
Saint posted:Does your town have one?
Have you ever been in? Placed a bet there?
Do you know people who use them?
A bookies? I thought most towns had several nowadays. My town centre certainly has loads - so many in fact that I've lost count.
[I've just done a quick Google Maps search, it says there are 9 in the town centre area (which sounds about right), and another 5 within about half a mile of the town centre. In the centre, there are 3 William Hills within about 500 yards of each other, and a triangle of 3 Ladbrokes no more than about 300 yards from each other! 
]
Of course, it's the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) which have had a lot to do with the rapid increase in betting shops. I would never touch FOBTs myself, but I have occasionally frequented in bookies in the past - usually for the Grand National, where I would shop around for the best prices.
I don't bet a lot anyway, but what betting I do nowadays tends to be online. I might occasionally still pop into a bookies to watch if I was passing and there was some sport on, though. There's a bookies in London's Chinatown that tends to get very lively around 4.45pm on a Saturday... 
Saint posted:I've only ever been in one twice - both times due to supporting someone to go there (I was at work).
What a bizarre experience - and not a good one
Although it was furnished nicely and clean it came across, somehow, as uncomfortable. For me anyway.
A male exclusive environment, quiet atmosphere, stools and benches and a raft of tv screens.
Zero atmosphere - it was a solitary and personal hobby
I'm old enough to remember when - by law - you weren't allowed to see into a bookies from the street outside. It gave them a fairly seedy image. IMO, by trying so hard to get rid of that image, a lot of bookies instead now feel rather clinical. As I've said above though, they can get quite lively when there's a major race or other sports results coming in.
The thing about "zero atmosphere" is that in the old days, many of those who regularly frequented bookies tended to retire to the local pub between races (and of course during races once pub TVs became more common). When I was a student, the college department's "local" was directly opposite a bookies, and the landlord used to keep betting slips and pens behind the bar. (No betting on the premises, of course. 
It was just so you could read the Racing Post and fill out your slip over a pint.)
