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On Monday.
<i>Britain’s high streets are struggling to survive, but one business is booming; betting shops. On average one new bookie opens every week. In one London high street there are now 10 within yards and the locals are fed up.
What’s driving this gambling boom and what’s the impact on our communities? Michael Crick investigates the rise of High Street gambling. He hears from an apologetic politician who now admits they got the gambling laws wrong, and from those most affected by the spread of the betting shops.</i>
Trailer – http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/britains-high-street-gamble-trail
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
I wrote about this a few months ago
https://theracingforum.co.uk/horse-r … on#p444026
This will be an interesting watch, thank you Nathan.
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I wonder if they’ll draw the correct conclusion- that the problem isn’t with betting shops
per se
but with FOBTs?
I somewhat doubt it.
Because it isn’t with FOBTs, if FOBTs were completely banned every person that loses on them would lose on something else and something else supported by the government, be it one of the myriad of lotteries, plethora of online gaming sites or just some good old fashioned betting in shops.
We have created a gambling culture, there must be a reason why.
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Because it isn’t with FOBTs, if FOBTs were completely banned every person that loses on them would lose on something else and something else supported by the government, be it one of the myriad of lotteries, plethora of online gaming sites or just some good old fashioned betting in shops.
We have created a gambling culture, there must be a reason why.
Whilst agreeing with you that there is a gambling culture in this country, it’s a fallacy that people who play the FOBTs would lose their money on another "betting opportunity". I worked in a high street bookmakers’ for four years (and have been going into betting shops as a customer since 1980) and would say that I’m reasonably well qualified to speak on the problem at hand.
Horse Racing needs to distance itself with it’s association with the bookmakers, if they want to run mini casino’s in our name then it’s time we run on our own two feet with the Tote.
When I say distance ourselves I mean stripping anything remotely related to Horse Racing from the shops and create our own shops very much like the betting Cafe’s that are around now!
There’s so much potential to leave the highstreet bookmaking industry behind in the 19th century, we could re-invent Horse Racing, creating a new trendy image that makes placing a bet feel like buying a good quality garment.
I have a vision, if Bookmakers want to run casino’s they can compete with multi bingo and Fruit Machine complex’s like Morley’s, Gala etc but they wouldn’t last long.
We could flourish in 20-30 years, I believe that it’s possible and I will do everything to get into a position where I can change Horse Racing for the better.
There are no fewer than three betting shops right next to each other, with another two directly opposite, in a small, very ordinary square I occasionally pass through.
It is in a very quiet, unattractive cut-through area just off a city centre shopping area. Why it has become the unlikely focus of five competing betting shops, I have no idea.
It’s absolutely crazy and I have often wondered how on earth they all manage to make it pay, especially as there are five of them in a small, confined area which doesn’t attract many visitors.
There are virtually no other shops in that immediate area and you wouldn’t have thought it would be the sort of area that would attract many people or even passing trade.
When you go in, most of the people in there appear to be unemployed and a very large number of them are foreign, jabbering away in all sorts of unrecognisable languages but enthusiastically playing the machines and talking all the way through the commentaries of races I am trying to watch.
It’s a very depressing picture but the shops must all be happy with their unlikely location and must, despite the presence of competitors literally on or near their doorstep, be making enough money to justify staying open.
This programme, featuring the excellent Michael Crick, who was for so many years Newsnight’s pugnacious and highly entertaining political expert, should provide a few answers and prove very interesting.We could flourish in 20-30 years, I believe that it’s possible and I will do everything to get into a position where I can change Horse Racing for the better.
There are plenty of young budding businessmen like myself who could have got at least an extra 3-5,000 people per meeting because we understand the market, we understand the current trends and more importantly we’ve been educated in an era that supports innovation.
I’ve got a lot to say on the matter and I know that I could change racing for the better, would love to talk more but my hands are tied with Goodwood
You gave that sop to the original inquisitor, Betlarge
When you can spare us your valuable and no doubt precious time once Goodwood is over, could you do us the considerable honour of at least outlining your concrete plans – rather than sixth-form bluster – for doing "everything to get into a position" let alone one in which " I can change Horse Racing"
You must understand Bruce, that all of us over the age of circa 35 have heard similar bright-eyed bravado before; one day we old-timers will hear summat new…can you?
Slightly off topic, but couldn’t help but notice the frontage of my local Willy Hills (St Albans Road, Watford) as I passed on the way to catch my train.
Out of three publicity posters in the front window, two were for FOBT Games, with the third relating to Olympic Football betting.
Isn’t this Glorius Goodwood week?!!
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Slightly off topic, but couldn’t help but notice the frontage of my local Willy Hills (St Albans Road, Watford) as I passed on the way to catch my train.
Out of three publicity posters in the front window, two were for FOBT Games, with the third relating to Olympic Football betting.
Isn’t this Glorius Goodwood week?!!
If you think that’s bad, the bookie for which I worked had posters for virtual cockroach racing (on the FOBTs, of course), in the windows on the weekend of the Eclipse, Wimbledon finals and Haye vs Klitschko last year.
Bookmakers want people in to play on those wretched machines, as they are guaranteed profit-makers. The high street bookies are not interested in traditional over-the-counter betting any more.
Thank the Lord we have the enlightened BHA lobbying hard for these machines.
Think what would happen if one of these shops had to close down. Horse racing turnover in the area would halve:
FBOT’s are key to the profitability of the shops IMO.
The problem with them may be that they make compulsive addicts of their players, in a way that is socially undesirable.
Although we’ve all probably seen problem racing gamblers the machines seem to create a different and more all-encompassing type of compulsion.
Although we’ve all probably seen problem racing gamblers the machines seem to create a different and more all-encompassing type of compulsion.
Agreed Cormack,
I’ve been a sucker myself whilst waiting between "races" I’ve threw £1.60 in and put it on the horses number that I’ve had a bet on using the roulette.
Hated myself for it, feel like the bookmakers don’t do enough to protect people but they are quick enough to ban winning accounts online they should be quick enough to stop losing players going into melt down.
All about profit for them and they’ve ignored social responsbility, oh unless you consider a sign on the wall and a leaflet "getting" through to addicted players.
Napoleon would have to reconsider his assertion in this age and draw the sad conclusion that Britain is a nation of Roulette machine arcade flunkies.
Because it isn’t with FOBTs, if FOBTs were completely banned every person that loses on them would lose on something else
Well some may, but the amount they would lose would be hugely less. This has been proven by the fact that betting shops were marginally profitable prior to the introduction of these machines but now are the jewel in betting companies’ crowns.
You don’t seem to realise that FOBT’s are – for want of a better phrase – a whole new ball game. They are ultra-addictive, rapid-play machines that strip cash from players with remarkable efficiency. The majority of those players I would define as addicts, insomuch as they play until broke.
This is a completely new gambling phenomenom never before seen, not comparable with slow-play games such as lotteries or cerebral activities such as betting on horses, sports etc.
As Ladbrokes’ Chief Executive said this morning: "Looking forward we expect to see further growth in UK Retail and plan to accelerate our programme of shop openings".
Nice.
Mike
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There’s an interesting piece on FOBTs by Andy Bennett (Racing Post Betting Shop Manager of the Year) on the Post’s website today.
…… feel like the bookmakers don’t do enough to protect people
Why should they?
What had happened to self responsibility?
Why should people be nannied all the time?
How would you feel if somebody started questioning or telling you how to spend your money. Indeed what right does anybody have to tell anybody else, outside their family or immediate circle of friends (and even that is questionable), how to live their life or spend their money?
All about profit for them
As you have been so quick to point out to all of us, you are an expert businessman so that must be a concept you fully understand.
I don’t particularly like bookmakers but they are businesses and they are in business to make a profit and, like them or loath them, it is something they do extremely well. If "Racing PLC" had just a small fraction of the commercial nous the bookmakers have then the industry would not be in the mess it is now.
and they’ve ignored social responsbility, oh unless you consider a sign on the wall and a leaflet "getting" through to addicted players.
and who defines what is socially responsible?
I strongly suspect your definition would be completely different to mine.
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