Meet the man who beat the bookies – and the banks. But the odds are against you

 Meet the man that beat the bankers and the bookies. But odds are against.

Can you make money betting on sports? Simon Inglis believes so. In fact, he has more money than a best-buy savings fund in one year. But, no, if you take a look at the victims, as we will show below.

Gambling, so the consensus says, is a mug’s game. This was certainly my view. Aside from an annual wager on the Grand National, I kept my distance. I was also able to clear the contents of my uncle's slum flat that was littered in betting slips.

Mental arithmetic can also be a problem. It isn't my strength. I was unable to comprehend the basic concepts of gambling, even if someone tried to help me. The William Hill Sports Book of the Years was awarded to my book, Played in London. My reward? Free PS1,000 wager

I did not want to miss this opportunity to win a huge windfall. I placed the bet on Aston Villa, a Premier League team, to beat Blackpool. I was then in meltdown at the division below in the FA Cup at odds 4/9. It was too late for Typical Villa, who won the victory in the 88th minutes. But it is a win.

Although you might laugh, I still don't get it. After 35 years of writing about sports, even though they were based on history and culture, I didn't understand that winning a bet means you also get your stake back. I was thrilled to be presented with a William Hill cheque. It wasn't for PS444.44 I had expected but for PS1,444.44. Tax free.

So I thought, could short odds betting, which has relatively high chances of something occurring, be able to at least beat interest rates offered in banks and building societies? What if I had to do all this while still adhering strictly to the industry's warning to "gamble responsibly".

A bookie's office can feel like a foreign environment to a middle-class softy. The bright primary colours, bright lighting, and stale sweat are all distracting. However, it was comforting to see familiar faces from the area hunched down at fixed odds machines - the mascot of high street bookmakers who have moved online much of their action - which is hardly surprising. It was especially so because I recognized one of the men as the same young man that had, a week prior, begged for a fiver with me on the street and told a compelling story.

But I kept at it. I went to Ladbrokes every week on my way home from the farmers market. Every week, I stopped in Ladbrokes and staked PS20. (I told one of the staff it was no big diversion as I was just passing by anyway and she laughed, "that's what they all tell me."

Soon I was the one laughing. I have 50 bets under my belt and my profit margin is 18.5%. That's PS1,185.48. Nationwide beats that.

How do I do it? First, you should only place bets on very short odds. Never more that 1/1 (or "evens", as my friends called it). More often than this, I was able to make around 4/9. My highest profit was PS20. But it usually ranged between PS6 and PS9.

I also paid in cash. As some of my pals admitted, the internet is a gateway to temptation.

Thirdly, I kept detailed notes to track my progress and to ensure I did not try to fool anyone. Lay Betting - Bettors Become Bookies