Betting Shop Locations

Find a High Street Betting Shop

If you really don't want to bet online and claim a signup offer, finding the closest high street location of a Betfrd, Coral, Ladbrokes or William Hill betting shop is easy.

Click a bookmakers 'Betting Shop Locator' button below to find the nearest shops to you.

Pro's & Cons of Betting Shops

Most of the bookmakers that run betting shops have been doing so for decades now, and although the amount of them currently still operating is in slight decline, they can still be found in large numbers in towns and cities all over the UK.

While British Bookmakers' online presence has grown exponentially in recent times, their high street locations still offer some advantages over placing bets using their website or App.

ADVANTAGES OF BETTING SHOPS

• Social Aspect: Visiting a high street betting shop can be a rewarding experience socially, as you're able to chat and interact with other like-minded folk. Some betting shops also show live events, which are always better viewed with people with similar interests and hobbies.
• Winnings Accessibility: When betting in a shop, you get instant access to winnings and can get your hand on them as soon as the event you bet on has ended. This is way more convenient and means that you won't have to wait for them to be credited to your account.
• Human Interaction: Although not everyone's preference these days, a lot of us still enjoy the personal service that interacting with another human being offers. Betting shop staff are also able to answer questions and offer assistance much quicker than email or chat bots can.

DISADVANTAGES BETTING SHOPS

• Opening Hours: Bookmakers high street betting shops usually have set opening times, usually 9am to 10pm, but can often be closed on bank holidays. This isn't ideal for those that bet spontaneously or wish to place a bet outside of a shops opening hours.
• Limited Options: A lot of betting shops offer a smaller range of bets/betting options when compared to their online counterparts. A bookmakers website or App tends to be unlimited and often offers more attractive/reactive odds than betting shops can.
• Travel Time: You may have to travel to reach your nearest high street bookmaker, which depending on your location, could take some time. There's also the cost involved of not only the mode of transportation, but also potentially the cost of parking.

Pro's & Cons of Betting Online

Placing your bet online as opposed to visiting a land-based bookmaker also has many advantages. As well as the convenience of being able to place a bet at any time of day or night, using a device that you usually have on you, there's also the increased range of online-only betting markets and betting promotions that you're able to take advantage of.

POSITIVES OF BETTING ONLINE

• Convenience: A British Bookmakers website or App can be accessed from wherever you are as long as you're able to connect to the internet. This makes placing bets a lot quicker and easier, and can be done at any time of the day or in the middle of the night.
• Betting Options: Online bookmakers tend to offer a wider range of bet types and betting markets when using their website or App. Live in-play betting options are also much easier to access with mid-event odds usually just a couple of clicks or taps away.
• Betting Offers: Betting shops hardly ever offer the betting bonuses or promotions that you see bookmakers offering online. If you want to take advantage of the free bets or price boosts that are out there, you'll usually need to bet online.

NEGATIVES OF BETTING ONLINE

• Potential Addiction: There's no avoiding the fact that for some people, gambling can be highly addictive. With the option of betting online so convenient, it can be harder to control urges to gamble, or to keep track of how much you're spending.
• Delayed Winnings: In stark contrast to betting shops is the speed in which you can get your hands on any winnings. When betting online, you might have to wait a couple of days see your winnings hit your account, which isn't ideal if you need them quickly.
• Technical Problems: British Bookmakers are not immune to the technical issues that most websites or online-based service suffer from time-to-time. This includes server issues, or downtime, which can prevent bets being places or customers accessing accounts.

So there you go, when you consider the benefits and drawbacks for betting online, or doing so in a betting shop, it's clear that the best one will depend on your personal preferences.

For some the convenience and wider range of betting markets that are available to you online will be more important, while for others it could be the social aspect of visiting a betting shop on their local high street, or having instant access to any winnings.

Betting Shops History

Prior to the legalisation of betting shops back in the 1960's, most betting that took place in the UK tended to do so in the back rooms of pubs, or in the shady alleyways next to them.

Once the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 came into effect, betting shops started to spring up all over the UK, with thousands appearing in the first six months alone, giving punters a safe and secure space to place bets, and interact with other people interested in gambling.

Betting mostly focused on horse racing initially, as it was trackside where bookmakers had first started appearing back in the 1800's, with other popular sports like football not too far behind.

A key milestone in the history of UK betting shops was the broadcasting of live racing events in the 1980's, which gave punters the ability to the watch races they were betting on in real time.

Bookmakers high street betting shops have continually evolved over the years and are now a far cry from the seedy and secretive back street establishments that they were prior to 1961.

Shops are much more sophisticated venues these days, with plenty of modern technology on display, such as electronic terminals and computerised betting systems, which have improved the efficiency and accuracy of placing bets and tracking results.

The location of modern betting shops are definitely more high street than back street, and offer UK punters an excellent environment to safely place bets and socialise with like minded folk.

The comparatively more recent success of online bookmakers; thanks to the invention of the internet, is one of the reasons we've seen a resurgence in betting shops, as bookmakers have been able to direct profits made online, back into the betting shops you find on UK high streets.

Not only has this improved their image, it's also improved the atmosphere and what they now offer customers, with most offering both food and drink in highly comfortable surroundings.

About ‘British Bookmakers’

Our mission is to help UK punters bet at the best bookmakers. We review and rate online bookmakers, their signup offers and betting offers and only showcase the best.

All of the bookmakers we feature are safe and secure betting portals aimed at UK residents.