I can remember when I first learnt how to bet on horses, it was way back in 1984 when I first entered a bookmakers with my mate. As we entered the premises the wonderful world of the bookmaker hit us full on in the face. Thick smoke, a few old guys hovering around the papers, a drunk trying to figure out which bin to pee in, and two stools that looked like they had just been dug up!

The racing was commentary only back then so during a 3 mile race everyone would just stare at the betting market on the screen for that race and imagine how it was going, and if you actually won a race and went to collect the winnings the counter staff stared at you as though you had a head full of snakes.

Do I miss those days? Do I hell!

These days when we want to know things like how to bet on soccer, we just power up the computer, and type the phrase in a search engine and up pops 100’s of web sites explaining not only how to bet, but where to bet, which betting platforms to use, forums full of information, and every single aspect of betting you can think of.

If you wish to bet on horses and soccer these days you have a large choice. We still have the bricks and mortar bookmakers, but compared to the old days you would now consider them posh. You can still bet on the racecourse as they have done for decades, but now you can also bet by phoning them, using a smartphone app, fire up the browser on a tablet, and what now seem like an endless means for you to have a wager.

On top of all that, not only do we have bookmakers, but also an exchange like Betdaq, spread betting, and binary betting amongst a few to mention. So no matter where we are these days, betting on horses and soccer is usually only a fingertip away.