Bookmaker (Bookie, Book)

A bookmaker, also referred to as a bookie and a book, is an establishment that offers people the ability to place bets on certain events.

Most bookmakers specialize in sports betting, with association football, basketball, and American football being the most popular sports events to bet on. Other bookmakers will also take bets on the outcomes of other types of events and competitions, such as Eurovision, the Nobel Prize, and even political elections.

If the bettor guesses the outcome of the event correctly, they are paid according to the payoff odds.

When used as a verb, the term “book” can also be used to mean “to accept a bet”. 

Bookmaker:

• An establishment that offers people the ability to place bets on certain events.
• Most bookmakers specialize in sports betting.

Fun gambling fact:

In 2015, Tayla Polia made a throw-away $5 dollar 15-leg bet with 20,000:1 odds. She won all of her bets, cashing in over $100,000 USD. Had she been more confident in her sports betting abilities and bet $100 USD, she would have won a cold $2,000,000 USD.