THE GUARDIAN - THE DANGEROUS WORLD OF BRITISH BETTING SHOPS

It could have been three times as long. It can be as long as necessary, until the point finally gets home to the employers to fix this issue. I thought it was illegal for people to work alone where any type of machinery was involved.
Morally, employers have a duty of care. Aren't Unions having a say in this ? In 2016, in a country like the UK, this situation should not be happening. The blame comes down, in my opinion, to the installation of the FOBTs.
Betting shops of old, are a thing of the past. What we have now are Casinos on every High Street. As the article stated, in Casinos , because of the monies involved, and potential for trouble when money is lost, they have bouncers.
Whereas in betting shops, it's expected a single person, often a woman, is in sole charge,
Despicable. New legislation is rapidly needed.

Speaking as someone who has had a gun held to my head whilst his companion yelled "shoot him" i read that entire factual account of life in a betting shop with a profound feeling of deja vu..harrowing indeed but many thanks for putting it up on here.

Well said nightfly

Great article

RIP Andrew Iacovou

A lone worker on minimum pay working up to 16-hours a day for Ladbrokes. Disgraceful.

The Guardian is not behind that policy. The Guardian is behind stronger union rights that would end this sort of thing and by default deter foreigners from seeking employment here.

There's no brainwashing in the above article.

Just an honest account on what is going on. No distortion, just facts. Maybe you should read it.

RIP Andrew Iacovou

Bookies same to their own employees as they are to punters that are fleeced - utterly uncaring.

Try the city of London, for world corruption and total immorality

What a harrowing read,so many awful stories recounted all in the name of earning an honest living

A long read, but was well worth it as it definitely hits home.

A few points....

1) The section about if over the counter business falls then we will man the shops accordingly.  Why not just shut them full stop.  If I want to get a bet on, you have many other platforms available to the everyday user.  We will survive, I'm sure.

2) Hills now use a "buddy shop" system on a night time.  I don't know the exact use of it, but something along the lines that you must call them every hour to report that you are ok.  Not hard for someone to do the shop over minutes after the phone rings and the young girl behind the counter says "yes, I'm fine thanks" and puts the phone down.  Just another tick box covered when asked what they have done about single manning.

3) How many of the stories of people attacking shop staff have stemmed from Trap 6 not staying on well enough after giving 10 lengths to the 1 dog ?  How many stem from the 4/6 favorite at Redcar not winning when you thought it was a dead cert ?  Not many.... they all stem from FOBT losses yet nobody higher up the echelon seems to want to control them because of the money they make.  Only last Friday, at lunch time in a Hills in a city centre location.  I was in for just under an hour, and I think I saw one or two bets taken over the counter.  At the same time, all 4 machines were in constant use with some getting £100 topped up on their debit cards every five or ten minutes.  If I see or hear anyone getting disgruntled with the FOBT in a shop, I'm gone.  I carry money around with me for betting purposes and I'm not in there to get robbed when someone has lost their rent or the food shopping money this week again on them.

4) As a PTL customer in most shops, I have given up on the industry and see what it's all about.  However, there is no point giving stick and hassle to the low level shop staff.  I get on well with them all, and if I'm knocked back on a bet, I know it's not their fault.  They have enough crap to deal with during the day for my type to be another problem to them.

My mum worked in a betting shop a long long time ago, and when I turned 18, I saw working in that envrionment as the dream job.  Sat talking to everyone about betting and what they fancied.  Watching racing, football etc... all day long and getting paid for it.  I turned 18 just before the millenium and before the FOBT's hit the high street.  I'm happy to say I never followed my dream job and stayed this side of the counter.

WA

Spot on with your point 3)

regularly , *

Imported filth. RIP Andrew

The shop that Mr Andrew Iacovou was murdered was a shop a friend of my nephew used to work in occasionally during the summer holidays and when there was a shortage of staff. Believe it or not, the Ladbrokes shop was directly next door to the Morden Police Station, which is close more often than open; this Ladbrokes shop, according to his friend, was the best performing and profitable one in the area and it was not uncommon the takings could be £50/75k per week - imagine that in a year!

When he was with Ladbrokes the then district/area manager was someone who's only concerned with his shops profits and not much else, and hugely unpopular, and single manning was already in operation when there was an acute shortage of staff in the area. It was alleged this individual had told his staff to stuff their banking money in their underpants enroute to the banks/post offices nearby the Ladbrokes betting shops.

The shop has been closed since the incident with flowers placed respectfully at the entrance on the anniversary of Mr Andrew Iacovou's murder.

the weak link is the  manager or assistant,having to check FOBT ,or open it for cash reasons after punter says something wrong

Indeed, especially when there is a dispute and/or possibly a machine malfunction and the manager has no choice but to do it there and then and the contents are usually cash.

Looking forward to a hard-hitting follow-up in the Racing Post.

a sombre read that invokes anger especially at a complicit govt.(irrespective of who is in power) that is making so much money out of gambling taxes that it will never do the right thing by the lowly paid betting shop employees

those f*cking FOBTs should be blown up..just magnets for society's feckless,degenerate detritus

I think the CEO of these companies are complicit (along with the useless Gambling Commission/Government), and should be taken to task properly. As said above how many of these would let their own sons/daughters single man? Surely they have a duty of care and need some sort of lawsuit against them, and maybe then they may change the way THEIR companies are ran. Vile and disgusting management imo.