Bucket shop

Bucket shop

An illegal brokerage firm that accepts customer orders but does not attain immediate executions. A bucket shop broker promises the customer a certain price, but waits until a price discrepancy is present and the trade is advantageous to the firm and then keeps the difference as profit. Alternatively, the broker may never fill the customer's order but keep the money.

---

bucket shop

An illegal operation in which buy and sell orders are accepted, but no executions actually take place. Instead, the operators expect to profit when customers close out their positions at a loss. A bucket shop is similar in concept to a bookie who does not lay off bets and accepts the risk of a bettor winning.

---

Bucket shop. A bucket shop is an illegal brokerage firm whose salespeople pose as legitimate brokers and attempt to sell you securities.

Typically, a bucket shop broker doesn't actually purchase the securities you agree to buy and that you pay for. Rather, the con artists pocket your money and move on, disappearing before you realize you have been scammed.