In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision about sports betting, even dummies can become bookmakers. However, you cannot operate a bookie as if you know nothing about it and get away with it. By using the bookmaking for dummies guide, you can run your business like a pro and make a lot of money.
Bookmaking Explained
You might have wagered before and lost and won. This could be one of the reasons you want to become a bookie. But, you cannot assume you know how to run a bookie because you have wagered before.
While this gives you the basics, it is not enough. Therefore, you must read this bookmaking for dummies guide to help you launch and gain a competitive edge.
1. Acquire The Necessary Skills
The difference between bookmaking and other jobs is not huge, especially because you need similar skills. But, it is crucial to realize the skills that can help you run your bookie.
For example, you need good customer service skills to acquire clients. If you feel that there is something specific you can learn about it, do it now.
Another skill you need to run a bookie is management. It involves time management, prioritizing, and generally running a bookie. You can look at what other bookies do and borrow some ideas.
Bookmaking involves some math too. You will calculate your profits, odds, probability of an outcome, and similar things. Therefore, you need some math skills if you plan to run the bookie yourself.
2. Understand The Gambling Market And Choose a Niche
The gambling market is enormous. Yet, even the prominent sportsbooks did not offer all forms of gambling from the start. Before venturing into casino gaming and horse races, most started as sports betting platforms.
While you can go all-in by offering all bet markets, it is unwise, especially for a dummy. Instead, it would help if you started small. For example, you can offer bets on American football.
Yet, you cannot provide bets for American football to European gamblers because they are not familiar with the sport. Instead, soccer is more prevalent in the market.
In other words, you must analyze a market before venturing into it. Understand what your target clients love to wager on and venture into it.
3. Set Up A Plan
Another thing that will make bookmaking for dummies easier is developing a plan. This is where you set goals and a timeline to achieve them.
Ensure that your plan is actionable. It should be a good business plan that you can use to borrow money if you need to.
Enlist whether you need to hire an expert and other details that will make your bookmaking business a success. Know where your first client will come from and how you will acquire them.
Ideally, create a plan on how you wish to achieve things for your business.
4. Talk To Your Potential Clients
While creating a business plan, you must have noted how you would acquire your clients. Use the guide to find your clients. Remember, enrolling clients is an ongoing process.
You cannot find five clients today and rest at that. You will need to find more tomorrow and the day after as long as your bookie is running. Pause the search from time to time, depending on your bankroll.
However, do not let the fear of having a small bankroll stop you from finding more clients. You can always ask an investor to add some money to increase your bankroll.
Remember to respect your plan. If you plan to offer your services to 20 clients, do not exceed the number unless you have looked at the basics again.
5. Create A Marketing Plan
Your bookie can be the best in your state. But, unless people know about it, you will not make any money. You need to put your business out there through marketing.
Usually, your goal would be to grow your business operations. While you can talk to your clients one by one, you might not be available for that. You might want a better way to market your business.
Therefore, sit with an expert and create a marketing plan. Decide which features to highlight and how to make your brand recognizable. After a few months of running a bookie, clients should be the ones looking for you.
However, you must create a brand and offer the best services to motivate existing clients to refer you to their friends. You can even hire a marketing firm to sell your services.
6. Secure Funds
You need to know how much you need to start and run a bookie. This is bookmaking for dummies 101. Without funds, you cannot operate a sportsbook.
Whether you intend to use your savings or investors, you need to decide how much money you will start with. Assuming that you need start-up capital and a few more dollars to cover a few weeks of losses is not good.
Instead, you need enough money. Some experts’ advice is to have 20 percent of the handle you expect every day. So, if you prospect getting $100,000 wagered every day, you need at least 20 percent of that in your bankroll. But, it is better to have more money.
7. Choose A Sportsbook Software
Bookmaking for dummies is much easier with sportsbook software. The software helps with many processes, including processing payments, booking bets, grading bets, and much more.
Choosing sportsbook software is a necessary process. You need to be careful what you pick as it will affect your bookmaking.
Therefore, create a checklist for shopping for the ideal sportsbook software. It should be perfect for your clients and you. Here are some of the things to look for:
- Automated bet booking and grading
- Reports generator
- User-friendly player management system
- Customer services
- Sports betting markets
- A casino and racebook platform
- Live betting
- Prop bets
You can buy the software or use a pay per head solution. The first involves buying software and cutting ties with your seller. The second is much cheaper and more convenient.
You will not only get the software but maintenance at no extra cost. One of the best price per player providers is Power Pay Per Head. The provider helps you configure the software and integrate it into your sportsbook website, ensuring it is ready to use.
8. Learn How Bookies Make Money
There are various ways a bookie can make money. Learning these methods can help with your bookmaking. These include:
1. Create Odds
The first way bookies make money is by creating odds. Suppose team A is playing team B. Team A looks like the likely winner of the match.
A bookie will look at the actual probability of team A winning and modify it to include his juice. So, if the original odds were -100, it would now look like -110. In other words, a bettor has to wager $110 to earn $100. The $10 is the money that the bookie makes.
2. Balance The Books
Creating odds is not the only way a bookie can make money. The bookie must balance the book to ensure his profit. Using the same example above, team A is the favorite while the other team is the underdog.
Players are likely to wager on their favorite team. This means that one side will have more money than the other.
If the side with more money were to win, a bookie would not have enough money from the other side to cover the winnings. Therefore, it is important to balance the book to ensure that an equal amount of money is spent on both sides.
Balancing the book involves reducing or increasing bets to encourage or discourage players from placing bets. If it is impossible to balance the books, you can lay off bets with another bookie to earn money to pay your clients.
3. Capitalizing On Things That Make More Money
The other way is capitalizing on things that would make you more money. For example, if changing your clients will help you make better money, indulge in finding new clients.
You could have good clients who wager once in a while. In such a case, you can motivate them to bet more by rewarding cashback, free bets, and other promotions.
Another way to earn more money is through inexperienced bettors. Avoid professional bettors and encourage novice bettors to wager more by rewarding them.
9. Launching And Operating Your Bookie
You can start bookmaking for dummies services after launching your sportsbook. So, find out whether everything looks as it should before hitting the launch button.
Register your clients’ player accounts and set their bet limits. Remember to set the maximum win to remain in control of your bookie. Consider your bankroll and how long you need it to last as you edit the bet and maximum limits.
Activate the betting markets you wish to offer your clients. Your clients will see the available markets and start shopping as they place their bets. You can ask your pay per head provider to guide you through the initial days of your bookmaking.
Running a bookie is easy once you learn what you need to. With this guide on bookmaking for dummies, you should be able to operate your business like a pro.
However, the above is just a start. There is much more to learn. Therefore, we advise you to work with a pay per head solution provider. This will run your bookie until you are ready.
