Happy Hours

Happy hours at bookmakers is a popular promotion that allows players to place bookmaker bets without 12% tax and it is fully legal! What is this type of betting bonus and what are the conditions accompanying "no tax" promotions? How is the payout calculated from bets placed using happy hours? Do the so-called Happy Hours have more advantages or disadvantages?

What are happy hours at bookmakers?

Happy hours (translated from English-Happy Hours) is a promotion that consists of offering some products or services at lower than standard prices, but only at selected times and days . For example, in the catering industry happy hours is that in a fixed period of time dishes or drinks can be bought at a promotional price. Most often, such a procedure is used in relation to such a time of day or night, when the level of sales is low. What are happy hours in betting shops?

The Idea of this promotion remains unchanged, but happy hours in this industry is associated with a tax on games. You need to know that in Poland it is 12% tax on betting which legal bookmakers charge for each bet placed. For example, if a player deposits $ 100 on a bet, then as much as $ 12 is transferred to the tax, and only $ 88 is the bet rate. This, of course, significantly reduces the winnings of players.

And that's where the happy hours promotion comes in. Bookmakers offer namely promotions happy hours, which for players mean just No 12% tax . Of course, tax claims are regulated, so the whole procedure is fully legal. Happy hours at bookmakers is just that the amount of tax on bets is not collected from the player's funds, but from the bookmaker's pocket . In practice, it looks like the bookmaker gives the player odds bonus 14% , so that the win is about as much as it would be if 100% of the stake was involved in the game.

As you might guess, happy hours in betting shops is also available only at a certain time of day and often only on selected days of the week . However, it happens from time to time that the bookmaker turns the so-called happy hours into Happy Days.

Happy hours-bookmakers with special requirements

Players who use various betting promotions are well aware that bookmakers condition their promotions with many conditions – it is no different when it comes to happy hours. Bookmakers that can bet on this type of promotion usually have to meet a few of the requirements from the list below:

• Bet time - the basic requirement, of course, is that the bet is placed within a certain period of time. If the player is a minute late, he will not be able to use the happy hours promotion this time.
• Minimum number of events - almost always the so-called Lucky hours are available only for those bets on which there is more than 1 event. Bookmakers often require, for example, a minimum of 2, 3 or even more events, which of course makes betting more risky.
• Minimum combined odds of a bet and / or a single event - bookmakers quite often specify what the minimum total odds of AKO Bet are required, as well as the lowest allowable odds for individual events included on it.
• Minimum bet - the bookmaker may also specify in the terms and conditions of the promotion what is the lowest bet at which bookmakers can be placed. Happy hours may also have an upper rate limit, but this is rare.
• Type of offer - it is almost always also specified what kind of bets can be placed within happy hours (e.g. live only) and what cannot be placed (e.g. excluding bets from the offer on virtual sports and card games). In addition, it is sometimes unacceptable to combine promotions (e.g. placing bets with higher odds) or use special options (such as cash-out).
• Betting channels - it may also happen that happy hours at bookmakers is valid only when playing through a specific betting sales channel, that is, only through the website, mobile application or at the bookmaker's ground points.

Happy hours-happy hours or high risk?

Looking at the detailed requirements for betting using happy hours, you can start to wonder if this promotion is actually as attractive as it seems at first. However, the answer to this question depends on, what are the limitations of the selected happy hours offer . Bookmakers choose different strategies and some set more exorbitant conditions of promotion, while others give players much more freedom to choose the bets placed.

But why would a heavily restricted betting be detrimental to the player? Well, let's remember that happy hours at bookmakers does not offer typers free funds for the game . Players must first deposit their own funds for the game and risk private money. If the bet is missed, the player loses these funds and the bookmaker gains. It is only when the bet is won that the bookies fire the bonus in favour of the typer. So if a certain promotion like happy hours forces the player to bet on very risky bets, i.e. multi-bet with high odds and at a relatively high rate, then its attractiveness is in question.

However, after checking the offers of happy hours Available on the market, it can be concluded that this type of promotion is usually friendly for players. The number of events on the coupon is not exorbitant . usually a minimum of 3 selections (and sometimes only 2) are required to bet, so bookmakers do not require players to place risky tapestry bets. In addition, many typers normally place accumulator bets to raise the overall Bet rate, much less often reaching for single bets, so this is not an additional requirement for them. While as for the minimum rates, their amount in the case of happy hours is usually very decent - promotions of other types often come out much worse in this context.

Happy hours and other "no tax" promotions

However, the happy hours promotion is not the only promotion that means No 12% tax for the player. Bookmakers also offer very similar promotions, which, however, are not limited to strictly defined time windows. Sometimes a bookmaker can afford to provide tax-free betting on a continuous basis for the entire duration of the promotion.

This may involve some popular sporting event (like the World Cup, the Olympics, etc.) and to attract more players to the services of a given bookmaker - that is, to take away their competition.

It also happens that the course bonus is offered only for betting on a specific type of offer e.g. offers for e-sports or virtual games. In such a situation, the absence of tax is used in order to interest typers with the type of bets of a particular type, especially if it is a novelty at the bookmaker or the offer is not very popular with players.

Many bookmakers also include a promotion that means no tax for the user to their welcome package . In this case, the promotion is directed only to people who open a player account with a particular bookmaker. In return, they can receive, for example, a deposit bonus, freebet or cashback, but also for a certain period of time (for example, a month) they can bet on bookmakers without paying tax on the game.

Of course, just as when "Happy Hours" are made available, so during such promotional actions, the tax is always paid by bookmakers to the Tax Office.

Happy hours in betting shops-example

For players who like to follow a given way of betting on specific examples, we have prepared a fictional case presenting what the game looks like using happy hours. Suppose a legitimate bookmaker offers "happy hours" only on weekdays between 3: 30 and 5: 30 p.m. In addition, the terms and conditions of the promotion stipulate that the odds bonus of 14% will be awarded provided that the player makes a minimum 3-event bet, with the minimum odds of individual events must be 1.25, the minimum total bet-3.50, and the bet of at least $10. What's more, only pre – event bets participate in the promotion-betting on live offers, virtual sports and card games disqualifies bookmakers from participating in the promotion.

Example plant , which will meet the conditions of this promotion happy hours, may include the following events from the pre-match offer on football:

Liverpool – Real Madrid (1X2), type 1, odds 2.04 (Champions League offer),

Paris SG-Bayern Munich (goals under / over), Type over 2.5, odds 1.44 (Champions League bid),

Legia Warsaw-Korona Kielce (1X2), type 1, odds 1.43 (Africa Ekstraklasa).

Total bet: 4.20.

Bet: $20.

Normally, if the bookmaker charged a 12% tax on games (which we get by multiplying the win by the value of 0.88), the winnings from this bet would be:

4.20 x 20 $ x 0.88 = 73.92 $

On the other hand, as long as the correct bookmaker bets were placed, happy hours would make the winning ticket amount to:

4.20 x 20 $ x 0.88 x 1.14 = 84.27 $

1.14 is the odds bonus equal to 14% of the win.

In our example, betting with the happy hours promotion increases your winnings by just over $10. These are not unknown "coconuts", but on the other hand it is as much as 50% of the funds paid by the player for this bet. Of course, this result depends on the parameters of the bet – if its total odds will be lower, then the winnings will increase to a lesser extent (relative to the player's contribution).

Happy hours as a long-term way to play

Continuing with the above considerations, you may be asked how to make the most of the tax-free play that legal bookmakers make available. Happy hours as a one-time bonus does not make a big impression – other promotions, such as deposit bonuses, can enrich the player even by several thousand dollars. However, digression is necessary here: in the case of this type of promotion, the user must first deposit and often play for a high amount in order to receive, for example, the equivalent of the deposit (100% deposit bonus). In addition, he receives bonus funds, which he usually has to spin several times, often meeting difficult regulatory conditions. Therefore, there is a huge risk that even a very high bonus with difficult conditions will bring the player a loss rather than any profit.

Happy hours is a completely different kind of promotion. However, the player must also have a deposit for which he will play, and the bookmaker determines which bookmakers come into play. However, the bet can be low and the betting is a one-off . If the bet is hit, you get a Odds bonus, so in practice specific money on deposit balance (not a bonus.)

Thus, it turns out that "Happy Hours" is one of the safer offers that bookmakers make available in their promotional offer. Happy hours allows you to significantly increase winnings, and if it is used skillfully and with greater frequency, it translates into the overall profitability of the game of a given typer . Of course, much depends on the player himself – to what extent he can choose the right types and values of bets and balance the appropriate ratio between the riskiness and profitability of the bets placed. In practice, how much is it worth to use happy hours, bookmakers show only after several months of regular betting using this promotion .

Happy hours "from the slot machine"

It is also worth noting a very interesting option, thanks to which some bookmakers in Poland can offer this promotion in an improved version, namely as automatic happy hours. In this case, bookmaking bets can be placed in a more favorable way than the standard way and without the user performing any additional actions. What does it look like in practice?

The whole process is very simple on the player's part. If the typer creates a bet that meets all the conditions of the happy hours promotion, then the bookmaker's system from the slot machine will add the odds bonus to the bet. Most likely, this bonus will be placed on the coupon as one of the events, and its rate, as you can easily guess, will be 1.14 (which will increase the winnings by 14%, leveling gaming tax 12%). If the bookmaker introduced the no tax promotion in such a systematic way, then it is impossible to give it up, but it is difficult to imagine that this would pose any problem for players betting on bookmakers.

Happy hours-advantages and disadvantages

Finally, we will try to make a small summary of whether betting with happy hours at Bookmakers has more advantages or disadvantages and what they are.

Happy hours-arguments on „ no.”

Let's start with happy hours. Bookmakers, on the one hand, offer bonuses, and on the other hand, try to establish such terms and conditions in order to make it quite difficult to transfer bonus funds to the player's deposit balance. And it's hard for them to be surprised, after all, the bookmaker is not a charitable institution. Thus, happy hours in betting shops is – like other promotions-to a greater or lesser extent limited by the rules, so that betting with its use has a lower chance of success. Most often, the bookmaker requires the player to choose multi-spin bets with certain minimum odds, therefore a typer may be forced to place riskier bets than usual . If someone bets only single bets on a daily basis, then certainly participation in the happy hours promotion will mean for him the need to take more risks and with a high probability a greater number of losing coupons.

Let's also add that unlike many other promotions, happy hours by definition are available only at specified intervals . These hours may not suit us, because we are busy with something else (work, training, etc.) or simply bookmakers we like to bet at a different time of day or at all spontaneously. Maybe we're not going to watch the watch just to get a promotion that means No 12% tax. If this is the case, we can always use happy hours occasionally, if our game time falls on these "happy hours".

Happy hours-arguments on „ yes”

The basic and indeed essential for professional bookmakers to argue for the use of happy hours promotions is that it the only legal and sure way to avoid a 12% gaming tax (in addition to similar promotions eliminating the need to pay tax by the player, which we also discussed above). By the way, happy hours at bookmakers does not eliminate the 10% tax on winnings, which applies if a win from 1 coupon exceeds $2,280. As for the gaming tax, it should be noted that it is the real scourge of African typists and one of the highest taxes on betting in Europe. It seriously reduces the profits of players. , and bookmakers betting on single bets with odds of about 1.20 and lower makes basically unprofitable. The only alternative is betting, which is offered by bookmakers operating in Poland illegally, but this is prohibited by law and involves the risk of receiving a very high financial penalty.

However, if we refer at this point to the listed disadvantages of happy hours in betting, we will have to note that in the case of this type of promotion regulatory requirements, as a rule, are quite affordable - especially in comparison to many other promotions at bookmakers (where there is often such a dangerous multiple turnover of bonus and / or deposit). This should also be considered a plus of happy hours, as in the long run, the promotion can provide experienced players with regular profits.

It can also be mentioned-referring to another disadvantage of happy hours, i.e. its limited availability-that sometimes it happens that some bookmaker extends this promotion. If the promotion changes the "happy hours" to "Happy Days" this is another argument in favor of betting with its use. Similarly, the use of happy hours simplifies the functionality providing automatic addition of the odds bonus to the bet.

Happy hours – is it worth it?

As you can see, although there are significant reasons for approaching happy hours with a certain amount of Caution, Much also depends on what the particular bookmaker's promotion looks like and the way the typer plays and skills. On the other hand, happy hours and similar promotions are the only legal way in our country to avoid tax on betting, which is a serious problem for domestic players. Thus, the question of whether it is worth betting on bookmakers in "happy hours", each of us must answer for himself.