Bookmaker

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £45,000

Typical Hours

41 to 43 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

How To Become a Bookmaker

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly
a graduate training scheme

College / University

You'll usually need:

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

You could join a bookmaking firm and start on a customer service practitioner intermediate apprenticeship. This is followed by further training which can lead to betting shop manager positions.

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start in a betting shop as a cashier then take training on the job to become a supervisor or betting shop manager.

You could apply directly to bookmakers for a trainee manager post. To do this, you'll need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths.

Employers will also expect you to have some experience of customer service, supervising staff and handling money.

Other Routes

You may be able to apply for a betting company's graduate training scheme to start your career in bookmaking and betting shop management.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
maths knowledge
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
excellent verbal communication skills
customer service skills
to be flexible and open to change
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

recruiting, training and supervising staff
greeting customers and promoting products to them
taking bets and paying out winnings
dealing with complaints
setting sales targets
controlling costs and balancing accounts
organising staff rotas
looking after the security of staff, customers and money
following gambling law

Working Environment

You could work in an office or at a race track.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could manage several shops in a region, or set up your own business.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

When you apply for a job as a bookmaker, you may be asked to sit a basic maths test to show that you can deal with percentages and calculating odds and payments. These tasks are often carried out by electronic tills, but it's important that you're able to explain them to customers.

Further information

You'll find more details about a career in the gaming industry from the Hospitality Guild.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

be over 18 years of age