'Tales From The Betting Shop' with AK Bets at Listowel - 24/09/25

AK arrived at Listowel 'fresh' from the drive from Dublin, (I took the 30 minute flight to Kerry, he knows how to look after the embedded journalist does AK) with the ominous greeting to the staff of the AK Bets betting shop, 'Are you ready for the horror?' By horror he meant very busy day which was likely to be fast, furious, frenetic and fraught all at the same time, simultaneously and together if Kerry Grand National Day was to live up to it's legendary heaving status. Let's hope so. This is the first time I've written a 'Tales From The Betting Shop' or even seen the behind the scenes workings of this side of the game so was looking forward to it too. When I was here with AK last year we bet in the ring, this was to be a whole new experience. The team had a treat before they got too busy when top Irish racing photographer Pat Healy brought the actual Sam Maguire Cup to pose with, myself included, some honour, Pat also welcomed me to Kerry which was very kind of him and the cherry on the top. 

The team today were, Jackie of Gogglebox Ireland, stalwarts Joe, Graham, Tidler, AK at the helm and Ronan who hosts the AK Bets weekly podcast 'The Racing Room'.  All were geared up and ready to rock n roll from the counter of the recently acquired and refurbished betting emporium under the stands. I was trying to be as invisible as possible because there's a lot more to taking bets in a modern betting shop than you'd imagine. You get the impression that the system is designed for the listless high streets where the bets are once in a blue moon and not five a second, the team were up to it though, AK wasn't looking forward to the approaching melee but hoped for a bumper payday that might soothe the aches of an afternoon's graft. Prior to the first race two luminaries of the UK betting ring came to say hello, Kevin Myles and Spinning Mick who were in the house on a busman's' and whom it was of course nice to see but didn't they know Goodwood was on, quiet there according to Armaloft Alex on the spot. 

I had a wander around the bustling ring as the shop cracked on, and bumped into my racing mate Donal from Cork who I'm still struggling to translate but getting there in as far as I know he's making the journey from Cork and back today and tomorrow, Justin Flood who now has a Skint Mob and Dave O'Reilly who will marry you but not get married to you as he's already married to Jackie and also entertain you on Gogglebox Ireland. 

Back in the betting shop punters were already piling in with Irish, UK and Australian dogs to bet on as well as the first of the UK horseracing of course the home racing all being streamed live. The team were also trying to get stuck into the Ryder Cup where they bet 8/11 USA 12/1 the draw and 7/4 Europe, prices may have fluctuated by the time of reading.  An army marches on its stomach so during the lull of the first race taking place I went out for food and drink for the troops. By the time I got back, the 11/10 favourite I'll Sort That had won The McSweeney Brothers Maiden Hurdle. How did the shop do? Everyone, too busy to even eat their freshly delivered grub I didn't like to ask. I soon learned that it's very different to the race by race business of betting in the ring. Looking into the running total after the first Listowel race I was surprised to see a healthy plus figure but was informed by AK it looked a lot better that it was because there were still lots of open bets. Nobody really knew where they were so that's how we rolled. 

Davey Crockett winning the Seamus Mulvaney Bookmaker Novice Hurdle made it two out of two for favourite backers, returned bottle-on 1/2 and made backing odds-on shots look like easy money, though if you have an ear to Willie Mullins and JP McManus they probably are. That can't have been much fun for the generous sponsors taking on the punters out there in the ring. How did it go for the betting shop? Well I didn't hear of any lumps coming in, it wouldn't have been that type of business but apart from that nobody knew. 

Next up at Listowel was The Brandon Hotel Handicap Hurdle but with punters keen to bet on so many of the events taking place elsewhere too the business just blurred into race after race. The rolling 'profit' figure had doubled to over €12,000 which was testament to the business being done but could easily look pretty nasty should some of the multiples start rolling up later in proceedings. I was feeling for the team working their nuts off, there was no let up, at least when it's busy in the betting ring you have the respite of a race. Carla's Pet won the race here at Listowel returning 18/1 which you'd hope would have been a good result for the bookies out on the course and would follow suit in the shop. There appeared to be pockets of constant cheers from people watching the aways which might temper confidence but recollections from my misspent youth tossing my wages away in betting shops, there are some people who cheer every winner, even louder if they knew you backed the runner-up, decibels so if it was your last fiver, it could just be that. 

I went out for a leg stretch to check out the ring prior to The Devon Inn Dan Sheehan Memorial Handicap Hurdle, the crowd was expected to be 30,000 today and you wouldn't argue with that estimate. Heaving, is I think the apt description. Meanwhile the betting shop continued to buzz with activity, from where I was sitting it looked like an old school stock exchange trading room floor with tickets being checked in urgent flurries and bets typed in rapid fashion. If it wasn't busy enough with live events to bet on there were virtual greyhounds racing from 'King's Park' broadcast between the real life action, I asked Tidler if people actually bet on it, he replied with a wry smile that he'd just taken a €100 bet on the next race there, I suppose one of them has to win. Meanwhile they were off at Listowel and there actually was was a little break opportunity as people stopped betting to watch it so I nipped outside to watch the action, I neglected to take my race card with me but didn't need it to tell me that the roar that went up when 3/1 Bitofajokelike hit the front it must have been jolly. The anticipatory celebrations from those of the 30,000 that were on were stifled when both 9/2 chance Duke Silver and 22/1 chance Cinammon Roll swept past to finish in that order with the favourite hanging on for third. How was it for the AK Bets betting shop? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Next up was the big one, The Grade 3 Guinness Kerry National worth €200,000 so I hoofed it out into the shop area armed with pens (neither chewed nor sucked) and fresh betting slips to replenish stocks prior to the hoped for imminent betting frenzy. It may not have been an actual frenzy but not far off, so it was excellent to hear virtual silence in the shop when 16/1 chance Spanish Harlem won the race. The silence might have been a little misleading as there did appear to be several happy punters who'd found the winner and at that price that can knock the book about a bit, maybe they watched it outside. I deemed it prudent to nip over Graham's shoulder and ask about the rolling total, worryingly it was back down to around €6000 with plenty of bets still running on. Nobody said anything but the air was of the distinct possibility that with just two home races to go the firm could suffer a losing day in the shop. That was surely not the plan when AK invested a significant sum in acquiring it with this day the potential big payday, the betting shop game's not like finding it on the floor anymore even on days like today.  

'Fivers, we need fivers!' was the call from the beavering team as the horses went to post for the penultimate The Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa Mares' Novice Chase. So off I went to ask in the ring, the trouble was they were pretty busy out there themselves so I deemed it prudent to wait until the race was off before asking, though Dave O'Reilly had already obliged with a nifty's worth then the gentleman that is Ray Mulvaney helped me out with the rest. The race went to Cloonainra the 10/3 second-in under a positive ride which I feared would have been popular with the betting shop punters who were still keen to punt which was a good thing. I may have assumed wrong as the running total profit was back to nearly €10,000 which at this end of the day was getting near a better chance of keeping. 

As betting got underway for the lucky last, here at least, I wasn't sure how long they'd keep taking away bets, The Listowel Vintners Association Flat Race Tidler told me that they'd laid a €600 bet on the 5/2 favourite over at Redcar and got that one beaten. AK then apologised for not having had time to tell me anything much. Just as I hoped I was to get enlightened a punter leaned over the counter wanting to chat too, not with me,  but to AK so I left the customer to it, still none the wiser. While the punters had been generally in good spirits, by the last heat it did seem as if some parts reached the parts others often tend to reach too, their demeanour. There were one or two irate punters who appeared to be irate for the sake of it, but the team today were seasoned professionals and dealt with the livelier customers in their stride unfazed by their ranting.

As the field set off for the lucky last here at Listowel I'm sure the AK betting shop hardy handful and the boss himself breathed a collective sigh of relief that the end was at least on the horizon, grafters the lot of them. Sadly, the Gambling Gods are a bit fickle when it comes to rewarding hard toil from bookmakers, Apache Tribe the 7/4 jolly won the race but it was yet to be seen if that had been a good or bad result, I expected bad. I went to talk to AK to find out, only to be ambushed by bookies on holiday Myles and Spinning chirping away in his ear. Thwarted again. There was a rubdown going on too, remember the happy photo with the Sam Maguire Cup? Kerry had cost top priced and rather bullish AK Bets a small fortune when winning the All Ireland Football Championship so lifting it this year. A punter who bet €2000 at 3/1 when it was an industry best 9/4 elsewhere came to draw and appeared to enjoy every €50 note counted out to him, quite right too, well done that man.  

The majority of punters drifted away fairly quickly allowing the team time to catch up and crunch the figures, it was looking like a winning day, though AK conceded that more staff might be required next year which of course is a good thing. Over an hour after the last the team were still settling bets, but finally they came to the conclusion the firm had copped €10,000 give or take. Aye Aye.

We're back tomorrow. 

Simon Nott

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