With mobile gambling legislation being passed in states across the country, there’s never been more access to the exciting world of sports betting. With each new state allowing legalized gambling, potential thousands to millions of customers enter the betting market. There’s never been a more lucrative time to be a bookie!
If you’re a fan of horse racing, you may be wondering how to get a slice of that action yourself. If you’re eager to try out bookkeeping, your best bet (pun intended) is to find a horse betting platform. Powered by the internet, betting platforms connect players and bookies across the country, allowing both remote betting and bookkeeping.
If you’re intrigued by the prospect of becoming a bookie and working from your phone, read on to learn about horse racing betting platforms.
What Is a Betting Platform?
As you might have guessed, a “betting platform” refers to the app or website that players use to place their bets. What you might not have known, however, is that you don’t need to be a tech startup with venture capital to make one! That’s where platforms like Ace Per Head come in.
Ace Per Head and similar platforms are also known as “sportsbooks” and operate as a live service for bookies and players. These platforms come with the IT infrastructure, software, and support personnel ready to use and at your disposal. Many of these platforms are streamlined to make the process of setting up a front-end for players easier, meaning you could have your operation up and running within a day!
Pricing models on sportsbooks vary. Some platforms are available for a flat fee, while others offer a subscription model. Of course, if you’re doing this as a side hustle or don’t have startup capital, you might not be able to afford this right off! Luckily, platforms such as Ace Per Head offer what is known as a “pay per head” sportsbook.
The Benefits of a Pay Per Head Sportsbook
Rather than paying upfront, a Pay Per Head Sportbook would allow you to wait until you actually have an income! Bookies running any horse racing betting sites on PPH software only pay when their players are active, specifically when they place a bet.
Let’s use Darryl as an example. Darryl runs a horse betting operation and has 55 players that book with him. Darryl’s operation runs on Ace Per Head; for each player that places a bet that week, Darryl pays $10 out of each wager. Darryl doesn’t pay that $10 for anyone who doesn’t bet, meaning that he isn’t paying anything during off-seasons or if a race gets canceled.
If Darryl wants to grow his operation, he can add $10 to his monthly payment for more features, but this is entirely optional and won’t detract from his business if he doesn’t.
As part of his PPH service, Darryl receives a dedicated customer support and development team that will constantly update the software his platform is built upon. This support means that updates and improvements will be made without him having to lift a finger!
Additionally, if any players have technical issues or need support that Darryl can’t provide, they can contact Ace Per Head support. If Darryl himself runs into trouble, Ace’s support team is on call 24/7 to help him work through any glitches and get his website back online.
Navigating Your New Horse Betting Platform on Ace Per Head: From Setup to Daily Operations
You might be eager to get started, knowing how easy pay-per-head sportsbooks make horse racing betting. After all, horse racing only seems to be getting more popular, especially for gambling. Luckily, PPH sportsbooks are built to make entry barriers low enough for the casual racing fan to get in on the action!
Below, we’ll take you through how to set up and navigate your horse betting platform using Ace Per Head. We’ll also review more of the benefits of PPH platforms along the way.
Assemble Your Business Plan
Being a bookie can be anything from a side gig to a multi-thousand customer enterprise. However, being a bookie is running a business, and you should treat it like one! Before even booting your computer to sign up, you should consider how to address your needs as a business.
You won’t need to worry about things such as payroll since you won’t have anyone working for you. You will, however, need to worry about taxes and regulatory compliance. State governments have the final say on gambling legislation, meaning rules vary by state. Before drafting your plan, get familiar with your state’s gambling laws, as well as how much to expect to pay in taxes.
Now, consider what you want to get out of your business. Do you want bookkeeping to be a way to earn extra cash, or do you want to scale your business and compete against the best horse racing sites? Additionally, it helps to have a good idea of your direct competition and what you can reasonably expect income-wise. Set realistic goals, and stay patient!
Consider Setting Betting Limits And Writing Rules of Use
Online gambling is exhilarating but comes with inherent risks, whether you’re a bookie or a player. As an aspiring bookie, the most significant risk you face is being cleaned out! Luckily, platforms like Ace Per Head offer the flexibility to enact betting limits.
Consider your budget and how much you think you’ll be able to payout. Setting your maximum too low could bore risk-taking players, while too high would have little to no effect in protecting you against clean-outs. Remember that platforms will often allow you to set individual limits, meaning that you can raise the betting limits for regulars you can trust.
You might want to consider setting rules for using your horse betting platform as well. Be clear about your policies and what players can and cannot do using your platform. Additionally, as you’re an independent bookie, consider banning professional gamblers.
Professional gamblers make their living by making well-placed large bets. Typically, professionals will bet large amounts well in advance of a game. To protect yourself from being cleaned out, it may be best to ban the specific methods used by professional gamblers.
Set Up Your Website
The front end of your platform will greet players on race day; its importance can’t be understated! Ace Per Head and services like it offer templates and a high degree of customization to bookies, giving you a great deal of flexibility to make your website stand out from competitors.
Aside from making your website pop, it would help if you also remembered to make it both accessible and sensical. One key to remember is that the goal of your website isn’t just to look pretty for your current players to keep them on the site longer; it’s to attract new ones as well.
As such, make sure pertinent information is front and center! Payouts, racing results, and other news are good hooks for grabbing players’ attention. To keep their attention, make sure any photos are relevant and exciting and keep text boxes concise. If you have social media accounts for your business, make sure they’re present but remember that they’re not the center of attention (we’ll revisit social media in a little bit).
Additionally, when designing your portal, make your interface as easy to use as possible. Make sure that vital figures like a player’s outstanding bets are front and center and easy to understand!
Marketing Your Platform And Building a Reputation
Remember, you can’t have customers if they don’t know you exist! If you haven’t already made them by the time your platform goes live, you should make social media accounts for your business after!
Big race coming up? Announce that you’re taking bets on Twitter! Major holiday around the corner? Celebrate with a festive Facebook post! Does a player win a bet? Re-tweet, share, and hype their victory!
Remember that last example especially. Interactions with players and potential customers keep your business in their minds. While you won’t immediately “hook” new customers, a constant presence can slowly convince an aspiring player to give your platform a try. Keep tabs on your accounts; reply to questions, make jokes with your players, and keep your name out there!
Thanks to the help of Ace Per Head, technical issues and quality control are primarily handled by a dedicated support team. This support, of course, makes it all but impossible for you to gain a reputation for a “broken” or “buggy” platform. Additionally, with random, anonymous identifiers given to each player and bookie, personal data is obscured, making your platform secure against digital theft.
Run a Horse Racing Betting Site From Home!
Sports betting is only growing in popularity, and it will only grow more lucrative from here. A horse betting platform running on pay-per-head sportsbook software can serve as an inexpensive way to get in on the action of this growing market.
Ace Per Head sets the standard in pay-per-head sportsbooks. With a dedicated team of professionals at your back 24/7 and cutting-edge automation, we make bookkeeping easy to enter and easier to learn. If you’re ready to take the first steps to become an independent bookie, reach out to Ace Per Head today!
Ace Per Head has been in the online bookmaking services business since 1998 running one of the top-rated and most trusted brands in the pay per head industry. We give our bookie agents the personalized dedicated service they deserve.
