The gambling thread Page 33

Finished with Billaway in the 4.10
11.75 return

Still putting me £1 bet on my Super 6 selection each week, on the advice of Alf, who said it must pay off at some time........................and it hasn't. ?

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 18th March 2022, 4:33 PM

Still putting me £1 bet on my Super 6 selection each week, on the advice of Alf, who said it must pay off at some time........................and it hasn't. ?

Yes, well, on the advice of Alf I put all three of Ronaldo, Lukaku and Kane in my fantasy team. I haven't looked back since (mainly because there was seldom anybody behind me).

I had £3.40 in my bet365 account as they'd given me a free five pound bet on the Premier league which I lumped on West Ham last weekend
put the put the whole £3.40 on a Man City Liverpool draw ( they'd also offered a free five pound bet on that particular game which I put on the Man City win, so as a Liverpool fan I'd win on whatever outcome)

The draw was 13/5 so my balance is now up to 12.24 from zero and a couple of free bet offers

I think I'll take a tenner out, quit while I'm ahead for this month ( I usually put in a tenner a month to play with )

Oh yes I'm a high roller me

Looking for some help from the Hive Brain.
Working on a script - and I need to know how off-course betting worked in, say the mid-50's.
It was illegal, I presume. but obviously went on.
I know the were bookies-runners - but not the actual mechanics.
All info gratefully etc etc

ALSO -I'm sure there's an old film -an Ealing comedy maybe - involving illegal horse gambling.
Any ideas?

Quote: Lazzard @ 26th May 2022, 4:10 PM

Looking for some help from the Hive Brain.
Working on a script - and I need to know how off-course betting worked in, say the mid-50's.
It was illegal, I presume. but obviously went on.
I know the were bookies-runners - but not the actual mechanics.
All info gratefully etc etc

ALSO -I'm sure there's an old film -an Ealing comedy maybe - involving illegal horse gambling.
Any ideas?

If lucky heather featured heavily in it, you could be skating on thin ice with the pc brigade.

Lucky Heather?
I went out with her.

Quote: Lazzard @ 26th May 2022, 6:27 PM

Lucky Heather?
I went out with her.

And the gypsy in me knows when and where.

2001-2004.

In Ireland.

https://www.skysports.com/racing/form-profiles/horse/34747/lucky-heather-ire

Quote: Lazzard @ 26th May 2022, 6:27 PM

Lucky Heather?
I went out with her.

Wasn't that Unlucky Heather?

This was all before my time you understand. Even I wasn't betting regularly at seven. Twelve, yes, but not seven. My knowledge of what went on in those far off days is based on what I have read over the years (in particular The Story of Your Life (a history of the Sporting Life Newspaper), William Hill the Man & the Business and The Ladbrokes Story,) all in my book collection.

Betting shops were legalised by the Betting & Gaming Act 1960 and were allowed to open from 1 May 1961. Prior to that there were, as you say, bookies runners on the streets who would pass bets on to illegal bookmakers. Legal bookmakers did exist of course but the only way of using them was to have an account and bet on credit either by phone or post, which was normally not practical for the small 1/- each way bettors and doubtful whether those bookmakers would allow that class of person credit anyway. Credit betting was strictly for the toffs in those days (I didn't open my first credit account until 1972). The only other way of betting legally was on the racecourse.

Basically, an illegal bookmaker would operate from some premises - usually a pub, sometimes a tobacconist or a barber's - and his "runner" would collect the bets from the punters on the street and take them back to his boss. And pay out any winnings the next day.

Although illegal, such bookmakers were of course known by the authorities to exist (there was even a Federation of Street Bookmakers) but in many cases the police would turn a blind eye - Lord Wigg (who later became chairman of the Tote) once alleged that not a single policeman or magistrate had not been "straightened" in some way or other. In 1958 a Daily Mirror reporter asked a policeman in Redcar for directions to where he could place a bet - and was duly directed. It was claimed that, of 76,000 pubs in the country, 61,000 had a bookmaker on the premises, largely with police knowledge and/or connivance. They would occasionally be raided but usually only after a tip-off and then with a token fine being levied on a volunteer who didn't have a previous police record, who would then receive due recompense for the inconvenience by the owner of the premises. Enforcement varied from town to town but it was estimated that, of the 61,000 illegal bookmakers, only 15,000 - 16,000 were convicted each year and, together, were fined a total of some £200,000, which they accepted as a necessary business expense.

Betting shops, when they arrived, were strictly regulated so that punters would not be tempted to linger. No TVs, no race commentary, no chairs and no entertainment or refreshments of any sort. One East End Betting Shop was threatened with prosecution for having a talking nynah bird which the local police officer maintained constituted an "entertainment" within the meaning of the Act. Another was refused a licence because it was on a busy main road and children may get pushed into the road by people using it.

I don't suppose any of that is of any use to you but it might at least give you a bit of background.

On the contrary, very useful.
The character I'm writing may well have been 'toff' enough to get credit.
Thanks.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 26th May 2022, 8:30 PM

Wasn't that Unlucky Heather?

This was all before my time you understand. Even I wasn't betting regularly at seven. Twelve, yes, but not seven. My knowledge of what went on in those far off days is based on what I have read over the years (in particular The Story of Your Life (a history of the Sporting Life Newspaper), William Hill the Man & the Business and The Ladbrokes Story,) all in my book collection.

Betting shops were legalised by the Betting & Gaming Act 1960 and were allowed to open from 1 May 1961. Prior to that there were, as you say, bookies runners on the streets who would pass bets on to illegal bookmakers. Legal bookmakers did exist of course but the only way of using them was to have an account and bet on credit either by phone or post, which was normally not practical for the small 1/- each way bettors and doubtful whether those bookmakers would allow that class of person credit anyway. Credit betting was strictly for the toffs in those days (I didn't open my first credit account until 1972). The only other way of betting legally was on the racecourse.

Basically, an illegal bookmaker would operate from some premises - usually a pub, sometimes a tobacconist or a barber's - and his "runner" would collect the bets from the punters on the street and take them back to his boss. And pay out any winnings the next day.

Although illegal, such bookmakers were of course known by the authorities to exist (there was even a Federation of Street Bookmakers) but in many cases the police would turn a blind eye - Lord Wigg (who later became chairman of the Tote) once alleged that not a single policeman or magistrate had not been "straightened" in some way or other. In 1958 a Daily Mirror reporter asked a policeman in Redcar for directions to where he could place a bet - and was duly directed. It was claimed that, of 76,000 pubs in the country, 61,000 had a bookmaker on the premises, largely with police knowledge and/or connivance. They would occasionally be raided but usually only after a tip-off and then with a token fine being levied on a volunteer who didn't have a previous police record, who would then receive due recompense for the inconvenience by the owner of the premises. Enforcement varied from town to town but it was estimated that, of the 61,000 illegal bookmakers, only 15,000 - 16,000 were convicted each year and, together, were fined a total of some £200,000, which they accepted as a necessary business expense.

Betting shops, when they arrived, were strictly regulated so that punters would not be tempted to linger. No TVs, no race commentary, no chairs and no entertainment or refreshments of any sort. One East End Betting Shop was threatened with prosecution for having a talking nynah bird which the local police officer maintained constituted an "entertainment" within the meaning of the Act. Another was refused a licence because it was on a busy main road and children may get pushed into the road by people using it.

I don't suppose any of that is of any use to you but it might at least give you a bit of background.

Yeah, not a bad effort.

I write short posts myself but whatever floats your boat.

I've just seen a Ladbrokes advert featuring Sylvester Stallone (I think) as Rocky but having never watched the films I don't know what is genuine and what is supposed to be clever.

I had a quid on Man U to win on Bet 365
and they've paid me out already cheeky sods
( if your selection goes 2-0 up they pay out apparently )

Come on Liverpool I've got a quid on the draw as well I could double up here

You should be in the sky super 6 league, where we regularly have a punt on our scores as well. You'd have won this round with that bet as everyone else had Liverpool. Not too late to join, you could still easily win it.

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ 22nd August 2022, 9:17 PM

I had a quid on Man U to win on Bet 365
and they've paid me out already cheeky sods
( if your selection goes 2-0 up they pay out apparently )

Come on Liverpool I've got a quid on the draw as well I could double up here

Was this that relegation clash?