Last month I wrote a review of Jamie Reid's book Doped about the doping of racehorses in the 1960s. In the review I said the book would have benefited from more references and notes because some of the details would only have been known to the participants. Now the retired rails bookmakers Michael Wallis has written an article in the July/August 2014 edition of BOS magazine to set the record straight about some of the facts in the book.
Wallis is in a good position to express his opinion because he was a rails bookmaker in the 1950s and 60s when the events were taking place.
He points out that Reid accuses various bookmakers of being in the know about the doping "without a shred of evidence". Also, if a bookmaker tried to offer "over the odds" about a horse that was subsequently found to have been got at, then that bookmaker "would have been a marked man" in the betting ring.
Wallis says, "we racecourse bookmakers were at the sharp end of the market i.e. at the receiving end of hot money for horses backed to beat the ones that had been doped. It was in our interests for the dopers to be found out .."
The article also highlights that Bill Roper was a 'runner' for bookmakers at the racecourse rather than a bookmaker in his own right and that he was never known as "Mr Racing".
BOS magazine - if you are interested in the history of bookmaking in the UK and the various firms and bookmaking dynasties of previous decades then BOS magazine is a must read.
There are fascinating articles about the characters of the betting industry - past and present, the lost racecourses, as well as interviews with current independent bookmakers.
Showing posts with label BOS Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BOS Magazine. Show all posts
11 August 2014
19 March 2013
Back Your Bookie
There is nothing quite like the British betting shop. They have an atmosphere, culture, and spirit all of their own. Over the years I have visited what passes for their equivalent in Hong Kong, China, Croatia, Lithuania, Germany, and Nevada and nothing can match them.
My current favourite betting shop is the Ladbrokes shop located just off the town square in Downham Market. This shop achieves its ranking at the top the list for a few reasons: (1) it is good-sized, modern shop with large windows, giving it an open, airy atmosphere; (2) I am in profit for that particular shop out of all the bets I have placed there; (3) there is a café just down the street that does an excellent cheese on toast, perfect for staving off hunger during an afternoon’s racing.
Unfortunately, I no longer have a need to visit Downham as often as I did, so my visits to that shop are few and far between these days.
My second favourite betting shop was the Coral shop in the south terminal at Gatwick airport. There was nothing especially notable about the shop itself except that it did make waiting for a plane more enjoyable. No, this shop’s rating was due to the fact that it was opposite a Krispy Kreme doughnut outlet. There was nothing more pleasurable than scoffing down a trio of doughnuts (one original glazed, one glazed raspberry, one custard filling) whilst watching a few races. Sadly both the Coral betting shop and the Krispy Kreme concession have gone, to be replaced by a Wetherspoon’s.
2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of ‘licensed betting offices’ on the UK high street. Almost since they first opened they have been under attack from those groups and institutions which see the betting shop as a blight on the high street. Even today, when retailers are going out of business in towns across the UK, certain politicians and opponents still want to talk down the UK betting sector.
Such is the opposition to betting shops, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has started its ‘Back Your Local Bookie’ campaign.
If you are interested in learning more about the history and development of the UK betting shop, these two books are a good place to start:
Down The Bookies: The First 50 Years of Betting Shops; John Samuels (2011) Racing Post Books
Better Betting with a Decent Feller: A Social History of Bookmaking; Carl Chinn (2004) Aurum Press
If you can get your hands on a copy of Bookmakers Office Supplies (BOS) Magazine, its articles also discuss the UK betting sector’s past, present, and future.
As Graham Sharpe, William Hill’s Media Relations Director, notes in the foreword to Down The Bookies:
“Anyone who has spent even the shortest amount of time in one of these unique, misunderstood establishments will recognise in John’s terrific book their real strengths and their few weaknesses. As the high street struggles to survive, you can bet the betting shop will be among the last to close its doors … [The high street] would not be the same without it.”
My current favourite betting shop is the Ladbrokes shop located just off the town square in Downham Market. This shop achieves its ranking at the top the list for a few reasons: (1) it is good-sized, modern shop with large windows, giving it an open, airy atmosphere; (2) I am in profit for that particular shop out of all the bets I have placed there; (3) there is a café just down the street that does an excellent cheese on toast, perfect for staving off hunger during an afternoon’s racing.
Unfortunately, I no longer have a need to visit Downham as often as I did, so my visits to that shop are few and far between these days.
My second favourite betting shop was the Coral shop in the south terminal at Gatwick airport. There was nothing especially notable about the shop itself except that it did make waiting for a plane more enjoyable. No, this shop’s rating was due to the fact that it was opposite a Krispy Kreme doughnut outlet. There was nothing more pleasurable than scoffing down a trio of doughnuts (one original glazed, one glazed raspberry, one custard filling) whilst watching a few races. Sadly both the Coral betting shop and the Krispy Kreme concession have gone, to be replaced by a Wetherspoon’s.
2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of ‘licensed betting offices’ on the UK high street. Almost since they first opened they have been under attack from those groups and institutions which see the betting shop as a blight on the high street. Even today, when retailers are going out of business in towns across the UK, certain politicians and opponents still want to talk down the UK betting sector.
Such is the opposition to betting shops, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) has started its ‘Back Your Local Bookie’ campaign.
If you are interested in learning more about the history and development of the UK betting shop, these two books are a good place to start:
Down The Bookies: The First 50 Years of Betting Shops; John Samuels (2011) Racing Post Books
Better Betting with a Decent Feller: A Social History of Bookmaking; Carl Chinn (2004) Aurum Press
If you can get your hands on a copy of Bookmakers Office Supplies (BOS) Magazine, its articles also discuss the UK betting sector’s past, present, and future.
As Graham Sharpe, William Hill’s Media Relations Director, notes in the foreword to Down The Bookies:
“Anyone who has spent even the shortest amount of time in one of these unique, misunderstood establishments will recognise in John’s terrific book their real strengths and their few weaknesses. As the high street struggles to survive, you can bet the betting shop will be among the last to close its doors … [The high street] would not be the same without it.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)