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The internet has changed everything with my gambling. I was thinking this morning, about that time before the internet was here, and what I and every other sod used too have to do, too get my money down on a Saturday on the horses. For the younger members this must seem mental, but fifteen years ago on a Saturday, I would need to be up very early doors, too be at whatever shop at 9am. Like a sad mofo, I would get there early and wait! Place my bets, and drive or sprint too the next shop, often quite a distance away too unlike today. In those days, the bookies welcomed ‘winners’. They did not have computer programmes to ‘profile’ online punters, so they relied on information from their winning punters, via phone, and shops. If you were a winner, you could get your money on far easier. Long before the exchanges, they would use this information to shorten horses on a Sat morning. You’d have an A4 page about you under the counter ( I was called ‘cap man’ in more than one shop, in reference too the baseball cap I’d normally have on). I had a habit of dating the nicer cashiers, so I got to see my ‘page’ many times over. Every bet I placed was written out on this page, every bet I placed was rung through to the man at the end of the phone. My bets were never rejected, or restricted, they used me, as well as hundreds of others too get the information they needed. Corals actually had an arrangement with me once upon a time, where I could get on virtually what I wanted (and did for others too), the only rule was, I had too be at the shop 15 minutes before opening time on a sat morning. I’d be let in by the manager, and could place my bets before the shop opened. At the time, they would have been doing similar with hundreds of punters around the country I’d guess. If ten of them backed the same horse, that would affect the early markets massively. In the long run it would make them lots of money letting winners, win.
Nowadays, since the advent of the internet and then exchanges, how bloody different things are! The internet changed so much, virtually over night. They don’t need winning punters now, so a winning punter is treated like someone who has Ebola. I remember a time, when the winning punters were looked after. The internet is a fantastic thing, it’s how I make my real living. I’ve had an e commerce website for seven years, so I love the internet in reality. But in terms of being a punter, it was the worst thing that could have happened. It turned the bookies into huge conglomerates, not bookies anymore. It’s led too a stage where machines and computer programmes rule the roost, in all aspects. I’ve spoken about it before on here, the computerisation of a result, which is being bet on. This is far better for the bookies than horses, think about it. Random results are so last year, these days, the machine or computer which takes your bet, then decides the outcome of the event, a millisecond later is where it’s at. One day the truth will surface about all this, it always does in the end. My old mum loves her bingo, fifteen years ago, women like her, would have to go too a bingo hall. Real life, you see who wins. Nowadays it’s all computerised for the old girls. You’re on a computer or phone at home. No one sees who wins, no one has a clue. It’s like a licence too print money. All of the bingo halls are closing down, my mums always moaning about it. I’ve always told her, never to go anywhere near ‘computerised’ bingo mum, you’ll never win sod all. Same as those poor sods who have killed themselves, or devastated theirs and their families lives after becoming addicted to those poxy FOBT machines. The same ones which ministers are now resigning over, and time scales are being extended to keep the money rolling in a bit longer. As a horse racing enthusiast, this recent debate about these machines is really great news for us long term, trust me. I could see a time coming as things were heading, where horse racing was not needed by the bookmakers anymore, not in the way we have always known it.
Discuss.
Interesting post Nausered
Plenty of food for thought and I will post a bit more another day as a lot in there to digestI will start with this however
I had a habit of dating the nicer cashiers
I ended up having a night with a cashier a few weeks ago.
To cut the long story short we got down to business and I was going along really well, all of a sudden she starting pulling a face, I upped it a gear and she starting moaning and I was feeling quite chuffed with my efforts said to her “you are enjoying this” to which she replied “NO, I’ve got ******* cramp”…..
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Certainly sounds completely different times- i think the olden days that some punters i’ve listened to on Star Sports etc. sound much better than now!
I have to admit i think the way the bookmaking world is going is quite worrying for this sport.
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!I used to work as a Cashier in a small local Betting Shop in East London for a Saturday job when I was younger and it was certainly a good way of meeting people and finding out who were those ‘in the know’ trouble was most of the big winners came from Wongs Chinese Restaurant on the corner of the High Street
. We did eat a lot of Pancake Rolls which they regularly brought in and they used to hand over massive tips when they won as it was thought to bring them more good fortune to share the luck.I was only there about a year but it was a lot of fun and we did get a lot of attention but I think with the Internet nowadays and folk betting online you don’t get people getting out and meeting people, we had such a lot of characters coming in every Saturday, men and a few women and for some would make them cups of tea, it was quite a melting pot and some just came in for the company and to put a few pence down on each race.
Really interesting post Nausered, made me laugh and agree with you about your mum and encouraging her not to go near online Bingo and also puppets horseracing as one of my friends calls it .
My bookies Paddy P are always trying to send me free £10 spin bets on the roulette to get me over to their gaming section, but I am an out and out horseracing punter, I don’t even play horses to lose, could never understand that it always seems open to corruption to me. How do you feel about that Naus as it was unheard of 15 years ago and I personally get no fun out of backing a horse to lose a race…
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I wasn’t keen on the betting shops back then. I’d walk in and get hit in the face by a cloud of smoke. If that didn’t get you and if the place was busy then the smell of body Odour would turn your stomach if you had had a skin full of scrumpy the evening before. The football betting slips would be in two with a piece of tracing paper, never lined up. If you got past that stage scott free you had the stupid question of “do you want to pay tax on your stake or winnings” to which I would reply “no thank you”
The old bag still works in that shop and she was old back then. She once tried settling a winning Ante Post bet I had with them at SP because of non runners and rule 4…Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Funnily enough before the internet I didn’t bet apart from the National.
I blame the internet for everything. lol
Jac, I must admit, like Nathan, I never actually liked betting shops. I come from a casino background, I understand the supermarket hard sell psych, of the flashing lights and monotonous droning from the speakers. I found it very nauseating. I was in and out as quick as you like. Pick my money up and run. £5k or more, I’d take a big dog and a pal. You could never be too careful in South London picking up cash from a bookies. The only time I’d hang around a short time, is if there was a pretty cashier. They will all offer you loads of freebies all of the time, too go play their ‘games’ where a computer controlled by themselves, dictates the outcome. I wonder why that is?
Nah honest Guv, it’s all totally above board and legit. Honestly.Once when I was picking up some cash from the bookies, some bloke came in and tried to rob the place. He had a hand gun in a bag as it turned out. A rather large Jamaican bloke, who was definitely a drug dealer, lovely fella though. He used to sit in the bookies all day long playing the fruit machine next too the counter, with wedges of £50’s… Turned, and knocked the robber spark out with one punch. Turned back, and carried on playing his fruit machine. I left rather quickly, whilst matey was bleeding all over the floor with a very wobbly looking jaw, went back the next day too get my cash.
One very naughty cashier that I dated, she was terrible. She had a wardrobe of fine clothes and very expensive shoes. She earned a pittance. What she used too do she told me, was when left in a certain busy shop for an evening meeting by herself… She would put a betting slip through the camera the wrong way up, and ring up £500 on the till for the last race of the night. Whatever horse won the last race, she would fill the slip in afterwards, and mark it down as one of the shops big punters, who’s bets she was allowed too take up too £500. So if a 14-1 won the last race, she picked up £7k. Cheeky thieving cow lol. I’m guessing she got caught out at some point, she must have, but who knows, maybe she’s living in the Bahamas now. She never got the chance too steal from me though.
That must have been a regular scam Naus as our Manager got the sack for a similar thing only he used to come in the shop between 1.30 and 4.00am in the morning and change the time on the machine to pm run the blanks through the machine for a £50 stake timed 10 minutes or so before the start and then fill in the winners while he settled the daily bets. It was just a local bookie so his stakes were modest compared to the £500 put down by your cashier, but he got caught when the owner came in after a late night out with a few mates when he noticed a light was on.
I was only there a year and the shop was eventually bought out by Corals long after I had left, married and moved to Essex. Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...It’s funny you should say that GoldenMiller, I already have written one. I’m not saying too much, it has nothing to do with horse racing. I’m actually, well I suppose you could call it, a little bit ‘famous’ in another field. Let’s say it like that, it’s so cringe talking about things like that. I have a life long hobby, that I’m pretty good at, and now I make a very good living from that hobby. I wrote a book for ‘that’ subject. I’ve also been a writer, and been interviewed, in books with collective authors, that would be termed as best sellers by volume. One that I was in, had a cover price of £25. They now sell for £270 second hand on eBay, since long selling out and being quite desirable. I will write another book 100%, 100% it will not be about bookies, or thieving cashiers though mate lol.
Very cheeky eh Jac, I often think she must have been caught out too… She told me she done it loads. Sent her Mum & sister to lA, and I saw the photo’s!
I’m sure we’re all going to be sent down to the Lounge with this Thread soon, but until that happens just have one more question to ask Naus….
Are you J R Hartley? Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...J R Hartley
Nah Jac, luckily for me I’m still half his age. None of you would know me, not one single one, unless you were involved in my ‘thing’. Then you would definitely know who I was. Luckily for me, my ‘thing’, is probably the fastest growing industry of its type in the UK. What my company sell, are luxury disposable items, that need replacing once a month or so. These products are hand made, and they can only get them from us, nowhere else. My ‘thing’, is more popular than football and golf. All that adds up too… Yeeeeee haaaaaaaa.
So you’re from the dark side of the river Thames then? I might have to revaluate our internet friendship on that basis lady! Ah go on, I will not hold it against you. I always make sure I’ve had my jabs when going across the bridge too see friends or family lol.
J R Hartley… Brilliant.
LOL Naus, but shame as old JR would have loved it where I live nearer the River Blackwater than the River Thames nowadays and within an hours drive of my second home – Newmarket.
Well done for raising a business that’s doing so well supplying luxury handmade disposable products, disposable being the operative word as you must have a great customer database at hand and lots of repeat orders. My husband works within the sales industry, mainly kitchenware which is also disposable over time, but it’s a competitive market so brilliant that you’re doing so well with your products online, long may it continue…Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...
Are you J R Hartley? 
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