akbets

Episode 97: Anthony Kaminskas on AKBets on Modern Bookmaking, Restrictions & More

Posted on by Peter Ling

In Episode 97 of the Smart Betting Club Podcast, I am joined for the third time by Anthony Kaminskas, founder of AKBets and a former professional punter turned bookmaker.
​
Nearly three years on from the launch of AKBets, this conversation takes stock of how the business has grown, how the betting industry has shifted, and why life as a modern bookmaker is far tougher than most punters realise – including a healthy discussion on betting restrictions.

AK speaks candidly about operating under UK regulation, handling restrictions, managing compliance risk, and absorbing rising costs at every level of the business.
​
He also lifts the lid on the real economics of running a sportsbook, sharing hard numbers on payroll, data feeds, duties, levies, payment processing and platform fees.
​
It is an honest look at why betting markets look the way they do, why margins are tightening, and why both punters and bookmakers are being squeezed by the same pressures.

You can listen to Episode 97 FREE now via Apple / Spotify / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

You can also support the SBC Podcast by visiting our podcast sponsor, Matchbook. You can get 150 days, commission free with them via this link.

Discussed With AK:

  • The early chaos of launching AKBets just before Cheltenham and surviving the first year​
  • Growing from a one man operation to a licensed bookmaker with close to 30 staff
  • Why compliance now outweighs trading as the biggest business risk and team
  • How and why bookmakers limit or restrict certain betting patterns
  • The reality behind social media narratives around account closures
  • The impact of rising UK betting and casino duties on prices and offers
  • Why higher taxation almost always leads to worse odds for customers
  • The true monthly cost of running a UK sportsbook
  • Why horse racing is becoming harder and harder to offer sustainably
  • The growing risk of black market operators as regulation tightens
  • Whether the future still holds opportunity for sharp bettors
  • Why professional gambling skills transfer well outside betting

If you want to understand how bookmakers actually think, why markets behave the way they do, and where the pressure points now sit in UK betting, this is essential listening.

Key Quotes

​
​On the reality of running a bookmaker

“It costs us around £500,000 to £600,000 every single month just to keep the site running.”

On total account closures

“Since the start of October, we’ve closed four accounts for trading related reasons. One of those was Brodders, who has an account with us now. So realistically, you’re talking about three accounts closed in that period.”

On process changes after the Brodders case

“We don’t let individual traders close accounts anymore. If an account is going to be closed, it now needs sign off from 3 people.”

On taxation

“Higher betting duty only leads one way. Higher margins. There is no other solution.”

On compliance versus trading

“A mistake in compliance has more chance of us not existing as a business than a mistake in trading.”

On the black market

“If you think the legal market is tough on sharp customers, the black market will be worse, not better.”

On horse racing

“You could make the tax on racing 0% and it still would not fix the underlying cost problem.”

On survivorship bias

“People only see the bookmakers that survive. They never see the ones that disappear.”

On professional gambling skills

“If you can think critically and solve betting problems, those skills transfer to almost anything.”

About The Smart Betting Club

The Smart Betting Club (SBC) is an independent service that has been helping serious bettors and professionals since 2006. We review, rate, and monitor tipsters and betting strategies, uncovering proven ways to profit and avoid the noise. Our mission is to help you make smarter, more sustainable profits without relying on bookmaker goodwill.

Inside SBC membership you’ll find:

  • In-depth tipster reviews and performance reports
  • Access to winning strategies that work with sharp-friendly bookmakers
  • Educational guides, data, and insights from professional bettors
  • Monthly magazines and podcasts covering everything that matters in betting today

If you’re ready to treat betting as an investment and want guidance from experts who actually win, join the Smart Betting Club today.
​
​ 👉 Join SBC and start improving your betting now

SBC Podcast #53? Anthony Kaminskas of AK Bets on his new online bookmaking website and doing things differently

Posted on by Peter Ling

Following my fascinating chat with David Lovell of DragonBet last week, the latest Smart Betting Club Podcast sees another ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ join me for an interview.

Anthony Kaminskas has done it all. Cashiering in bookmaker shops, trading at the sharp end for Paddy Power and pro-punting with specialisms in multiple sports.

His bookmaking venture, AK Bets, started life in the form of pitches across Irish racecourses and Anthony stood out from the crowd immediately by introducing his own way of doing things.

Now, he has expanded into the online betting market with AKBets.bet and he has big plans to shake that market up too…

You can listen to Episode 53 now via Apple / Spotify / Google / YouTube and all other major podcast directories (search Smart Betting Club)

Note: The YouTube link is a full video feed featuring Anthony in his AKBets office as he chats to me!

AN IN-DEPTH CHAT WITH AK

In this episode, Anthony and I discuss:

  • The challenges of launching an independent bookmaker online.
  • The process of building the site, ‘White Labelling’ and the struggles that AK faces day-to-day as he tries to prioritise different plans that he has for the site
  • Anthony’s motivations and where he feels that he can out-do the industry’s ‘big boys’.
  • Criticisms that he has faced on social media for outsourcing certain website functions.
  • Plans for pricing at AK Bets and how this is a work in progress.
  • How AK Bets sacrifices concessions such as BOG in order to stand bets and trade with customers fairly.
  • Customers who aren’t welcome at AK Bets and behaviours that will result in restrictions or account closures.
  • How ‘smart money’ is more than welcome – even if it costs the business money.
  • How personal service and honest conversations with customers (both good & bad) are at the centre of how AK Bets will operate.
  • Casino products and why they are hosted on the site.
  • Anthony’s plans for the future.

Anthony was a brilliant guest and his outlook can provide something of value for anyone looking to profit from their betting.

If you would like to learn more about AK Bets, or if you want to open account with this independent firm, then you can do so by visiting www.akbets.bet.

INDEPENDENT BOOKMAKERS WHO WILL STAND YOU A BET

Our last two SBC Podcast guests both run independent bookmakers and here at the SBC we have been doing lots of work to profile firms like DragonBet and AK Bets, detailing what they can offer smart bettors.

A profile of both of these firms (and other likeminded bookmakers) is available on our regularly updated Independent Bookmaker page, providing a comprehensive summary of the different options available with these lesser known firms.

(Note – a more detailed dossier on all bookmakers is available to SBC members)

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE…

As ever if you enjoy this and other episodes, please do consider leaving a 5* review via your podcast directory.

By doing so it helps ensure we can produce more free podcasts in future. As a reminder, all SBC podcast episodes are bookie and advert free with the central goal of helping educate, inform and empower punters.