I had made a conscious effort to avoid betting shops for many years. They simply weren’t worth the hassle involved. However, a few months ago I decided to start using them again for certain bets not offered on Exchanges. Nothing exciting. Not top prices. The betting industry has a fundamental problem. It is run and operated by absolute clowns who are a complete law unto themselves. I have said this before but the standards adhered to in this day and age are utterly pathetic. Let me give a few examples.
I wont use the specific names because I have ongoing issues with them. The first one I remember was having a disagreement with a shop staff member over money put into a machine. I said I had. She said the machine was empty and that I was lying. I was very polite. She was rude and abrasive. I was like ok and walked off knowing it was immaterial to what I was doing. Next time I went in she apologised and said here’s the money. I appreciated it. It does highlight one overwhelming feeling though. The staff are constantly on the back foot, always looking for negative behaviours. Not a fun environment to work in. It took almost six weeks and maybe eight trips to that shop to get enough cash to pay me out one bet at the back end of last year. It was only in the four figures.
Since then we have had multiple shops refuse bets over the counter, we have been banned from machines, banned from shops, etc etc. Mostly for having the temerity of trying to win. The constant requests for ID. Do you have a phone number, etc? Desperate to know who I am. Err no. F**k off. I can live with all that just about. It’s all just part of this bulls**t game we play in, where the bookmakers pretend to be bookmakers but are only interested in complete mugs. I always make an effort to be polite and courteous as I realise that it is not the staffs fault but usually Head Office.
What has happened this week though I cannot tolerate and it just reiterates what a joke the Gambling Commission is that it still goes on. I walk into a shop I have been into maybe 6/7 times in the last few weeks. I have had a nice result and need to collect some money. I don’t know any of the staff as I have never placed a bet over the counter. Just on the machines. I was thinking that I wouldn’t be flagged up until I tried to collect the winnings from the bet. Before I had reached the machines I was asked to come to the counter. So I duly obliged. I am told I am banned from the shop. Fine. Whatever.
What’s abundantly clear though is that I have been picked up on cameras entering the shop or the use of a photo behind the counter. I talked about this last year and how it used to happen 6/7 years ago. People doubted it. I enquired as to whether they had a photo of me behind the counter. I was told no. I asked do you have photos of any customers. I was told no. If I wanted any more information I would have to make a Freedom of Information request. I said that’s interesting as I was in one of your other shops recently and there were a few photos behind the counter. The shop had said it related to Problem Gamblers. So we start with staff/managers quite happy to lie to your face. That’s fine and you know where you stand. On the last visit one of the staff did admit that they have CCTV footage everywhere. Implying it was what had flagged up. I don’t know the legalities these days with regard to betting shops and CCTV footage. I have no doubts it can serve a purpose for Problem Gamblers. Winning punters. Hmm. I would be surprised if the ICO has signed off on that. Nothing would surprise though.
I am then told by the Manager that he needs to contact someone at Head Office. I am once again aggressively asked as to who I am and it is needed to keep things moving forward. I said no you don’t. He then said he needs to speak to someone else. At this point I had been in the shop about 30 minutes. I said I needed to leave as I couldn’t wait around endlessly. I had other bets to try and place. The bet slips had already been locked at this point. I assume that this means that no one can pay out unless cleared and authorised. I returned two days later and was hopeful that I would be able to start making some inroads into collecting the money that I am owed. I understood that the shop may not have it all at once. I was aware that I couldn’t just have all the money that they have in the safe. That they needed money for other customers. So I went in with a couple of relatively small slips. I am told that I was asking for too much. I could tell they were just being difficult.
We then went through the situation of Head Office being phoned again as the bet slips were still locked. No idea what is going on. Having waited patiently I am then told that I cant be paid any money as someone needs to send someone else an email. On a weekend. Good luck. Another 40 mins wasted. This endless sham and charade continues. It can only be done when the Manager is back in. When will that be? Not sure. Can you start keeping some extra cash in the safe so that when I do return you are actually able to start repaying some of the money owed. Err no. Brilliant.
It is absolutely insane in this day and age the amount of utter bulls**t that a company will try and make people go through to simply collect some winnings back in cash. It is tough to comprehend the number of hours wasted already trying to sort it out. I then had the joys of turning up at a different shop just after it opened. The lady was we don’t have the cash we said we would have a few days ago. I said ok I will take less. Oh sorry sir you will have to wait 45 mins as the safe cant be opened for half an hour after the shop opens.
Honestly shoot me. I understand it is not easy to pull together cash. The onus is on you though as a business to sort it out. Put procedures and methods in place that can deal with it. Sometimes customers even place winning bets. And want paying back in the same way they placed the bets. Let’s not let affordability checks cloud the issue, that both online and in retail shops, that these bookmakers still continue to behave like absolute cowboys. Restrict me. Ban me. Whatever your pathetic organisation needs. You need to pay up and out though in a timely manner.
ProPunting 