Greyhounds betting

The English Derby is the highlight of the greyhound racing calendar, a furious four-legged gallop around Wimbledon’s Plough Lane where avoiding a bump on the opening bend is essential if a dog is to have a chance of victory.

This year’s greyhound derby betting is dominated by Toomaline Jack, the race’s 10/11 favourite. So well fancied is he that online bookmakers have made a point of quoting odds which notionally exclude him from the field, a feature only available via the internet.

In the UK, greyhounds betting has been a staple form of early-day wagering for decades.

When high street bookmakers’ offices were dark, dingy places, it was not unusual to see them filled with older men in flat caps smoking rolled-up cigarettes mulling over the day’s form as they considered the day’s greyhound bet. Betting on greyhounds was traditionally an early morning activity and these same elderly gents would tend to place their greyhounds bet (or bets) and then disappear to the nearest pub to discuss the finer points of greyhounds betting – amongst other things.

How times have changed. The advent of the internet has revolutionised greyhounds betting; the elderly men sat in the pub contemplating predictions for their greyhound bet would have little idea of what an online bookmaker was, though they would no doubt be interested to hear of the free bets offered by internet bookies.

Apart from the ease with which a greyhounds bet can be staked online, the range of greyhounds betting markets available to punters has widened enormously. The most welcome development has been the introduction of live greyhound betting, a feature which gives bettors the chance to consider factors such as a dog’s form and track conditions for a longer period of time before staking their bet.

In addition, the free bet offers available at most online bookmakers are enthusiastically accepted by many who enjoy betting on greyhounds.

With the sport’s biggest annual event almost upon us, greyhound derby betting will reach a peak this weekend, no doubt much to the surprise of any predictor of the sport’s imminent demise.

Only a few years ago, greyhounds betting was believed to belong to a bygone age, but predictions that the sport and its thousands of avid followers would simply migrate to some other form of betting proved wide of the mark.

Live greyhound betting, generous free bets offers and the ready availability of publications telling readers how to win at greyhound betting ensure the sport and its followers are in rude health – even those older chaps who disappear to the pub at any opportunity…