Photo by Terrace Grain on Unsplash
Football fans have long enjoyed a variety of betting markets, but finding out whether they were winners used to be a difficult task. Modern consumers can easily track their bets online, thanks to a variety of websites and apps, but how did bettors use to do this?
We take a look at the methods used by consumers before online connectivity became so widespread, and how modern gamblers can easily access the information they need to enjoy live betting or track their existing bets.
How Modern Gamblers Have Endless Access to Valuable Information
The majority of UK consumers who are of betting age and older have relatively easy access to the internet, with smartphones commonplace. This has helped to transform the gambling industry, with online operators making it easy for consumers to enjoy live betting by offering a long list of betting websites to explore. Tracking bets on dedicated sporting apps is easy with information being updated quickly.
In the same way that it is hard to think of how people would find things out before Google and other search engines, it is strange to think of how bettors used to track results.
Pre-Internet Bet Checking Options
Before being able to reach into our pockets and pull out a smartphone, bettors were restricted as to how they could track their bets. We explore the most common ways below.
Attending Matches or Watching Live
The most obvious way for people to track their bets was by watching a football match. This could be done with games being broadcast or by attending matches. However, this would only work on bets related to that match alone, and accumulators would be more difficult to get results for.
Radio
It used to be relatively commonplace to see people at games watching the action while listening to the radio to be updated about opponents. In end-of-season games, where teams would be relying on other results to determine their own position, results would slowly filter through from people listening to games.
This was also a great way for people at home or work to keep up with the latest scores, with games receiving coverage and updates.
Teletext
Teletext was the scoreboard of a generation, with TV viewers able to click through and enjoy score updates by league. By entering the correct three-digit code, viewers would be taken to a page with scores that would update regularly.
Teletext has since gained a cult following from fans who loved the iconic graphics, with social media posts designed to show modern scores in the classic Teletext font.
Television
Live matches, sports news, and specific shows that focused on updating fans, like Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, were a great way for people to track results. While some would merely provide half-time and full-time results, others started early and provided squad information and commentary.
Live football on TV is another good way to track match action, and most commentators will keep viewers up-to-date on other relevant scores.
Newspapers
Newspapers have never been the fastest way to deliver information, but they served a purpose by collating all the relevant information in one place. Consumers would have to wait for the next day in most cases, though evening papers could provide results that were in on time.
The majority of UK newspapers would dedicate the back page to sports, with breaking news and results. Some sports-focused papers available in local areas would provide more in-depth reports and coverage of teams in specific areas. They would cover professional and amateur football, giving fans better access to valuable information.
Betting Offices
Betting offices would provide result updates for most markets that were covered. Live betting, before online betting took off, used to take place in betting offices, but would move more slowly than modern options.
Bookmakers used to have people watching games live with a phone line open to a central hub. If a team started a dangerous attack, scored a goal, got a corner, or was awarded a free kick in a dangerous area, the person watching the match would shout through to the person on the other end of the line, who would suspend betting until the danger passed.
This helped to mitigate risk from the operator’s point of view, but was not great for fans who were trying to place bets. This outdated way of operating was forced out when online betting markets began updating prices immediately based on the action, providing consumers with a much better service.
Betting offices would also have a selection of screens that show updating odds, horse and dog racing action, and results. This makes it easier for customers to check their own bets in store.
Phone Hotlines
Another outdated trend that was available before online services took over was phone hotlines. It is bizarre to think that there was even a service to phone just to find out the time, but sports hotlines typically offered a variety of services.
Results hotlines would give callers live updated results or final scores, depending on when they called. Callers could also choose specific divisions or listen to all the classified results from the football league.
Football phone hotlines were also used to give fans the latest transfer rumours and team news, with tipster hotlines also enjoying popularity. Tipster lines were designed to give expert advice about potential betting selections.
Conclusion
Online betting facilities have improved access and convenience for consumers all around the world, and football fans can track and update bets in real time. The modern phenomenon of ‘cashing out’ bets that are winning for amended odds has been made possible by this far more reactive service.
Gambling apps often include score updates, while specific sports score apps enjoy massive popularity among users. Most of these services are free to use, and some can be set up to alert the user with score updates for their favourite teams.
The days of waiting for newspapers, tuning in to the radio, or patiently waiting for Teletext to skip to the next page are well behind us, and immediate access to results is now an expectation.
