Bookmakers have to make a profit otherwise they would not be able to trade. However, this doesn’t always mean that an individual customer will always lose, and, in fact, many will emerge with a profit. The point is that, overall, the bookies will always claim a greater share of the return as long as their odds are set correctly. They have to profit too but it’s down to the individual bettors to make sure that they are not among the losers.