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Bookmaker
Bookie, betting shop manager
Bookmakers organise gambling activities in betting offices, at racetracks and online.
Average salary (a year)
£18000
Starter
£30000
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
41.0 to 43.0 hours
variable
Work Hours
evenings / weekends / bank holidays
away from home
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this job through:a college course; an apprenticeship; working towards this role; applying directly; a graduate training scheme
College
You can learn some of the skills you need for this job by doing a course in customer service or retail, such as
Level 2 Diploma in Retail Skills, Level 2 Diploma in Customer Service
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
search for courses|/find-a-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.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work
You could start in a betting shop as a cashier then take training on the job to become a supervisor or betting shop manager.
Direct Application
You could apply directly to bookmakers for a trainee manager job. 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.
More Information
Career Tips
When you apply for a job as a bookmaker, you may be asked to sit a basic maths test. This will show that you can work out odds, payments and percentages.
These tasks are usually done on electronic tills but it's important that you're able to explain them to customers.
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    Customer service skills
    The ability to work well with others
    To be thorough and pay attention to detail
    Maths knowledge
    Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
    The ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
    Excellent verbal communication skills
    To be flexible and open to change
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Related Restrictions
be over 18 years of age
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
As part of your day-to-day work, you could
recruit, train and supervise staff, greet customers and promote products to them, take bets and pay out winnings, deal with complaints, set sales targets, control costs and balance accounts, organise staff rotas, look after the security of staff, customers and money, follow gambling laws
Working environment
You could work at a store, in an office or at a race track.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
With experience, you could manage several betting shops in a region or set up your own business.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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