Glory Days When Betting Shops had Soul.

Going to a betting shop was a social occasion along with doing a few bets. Staff used be knowledgeable on racing and there was debates on various trainers form etc now youve a minimum wage employee who knows nothing about racing .

Can anyone identify the Forumite pictured in the foreground?

Got to admit, ive been in a betting shop about 4 times in the last 15 years, but i did go in last week to get out of the rain.

They put the sound down to levels where you can hardly hear a commentary.
i was impressed with the shop tbf, the full racing post on touchscreen etc.

This forum is the modern version , it's called an online betting shop   

It is, with the same bams , shouting at the telly/commentary, backing every favourite and calling the jockeys crooks when the fav does not win.

Well it wasn't always the case as I recall backing Kribensis when it won the Champion Hurdle at the SP rare odds of 95/40 but when I checked noticed they had settled at 85/40. When I questioned it the settler argued it was correct even when I explained that 95/40 was more than 90/40!

ive never seen that price returned, had to google, and that was the price.....pretty good, field , in that champion hurdle, including 2 favourites of mine, Past Glories and Jinxy Jack both running great at huge prices.

The local Ladcrook shop closed a few years ago the staff where brilliant.I asked about the anti post odds for the Arlington Million and the staff who I asked said "is that a big race?" another time she asked me what the dirt track was in the Breeders Cup......one time they stopped putting out the Racing Post until I created Havoc saying that it's like a restaurant without a menu.

I do miss the banter

The punters have changed. They shop around for prices, as most consumers do when they can, and bet without any human interaction at all (bar the regular complaints to customer service that a £20 bet has been restricted to pennies). But when it comes to explaining why the relationship has fractured, the bookmakers have changed far more.

Banks, of course, operates at the track, which is almost the last redoubt of a personal relationship between punter and bookie. And to my mind at least, whether or not his punter was actively trying to pull a fast one, if he held on to £3,375 that he knew he had not won that would certainly make him a cheat. The significant number of keyboard warriors who seem to think that Banks is fair game is a sign of the regrettable extent to which online gambling has changed the whole game for good.

This thread has been flogged to Death

In the glory days you  could put an iou for a score in the safe till payday.
Sad to say came back from York with 2 things an empty pocket and covid.
Hope you are all well.
Regards a very rough Ronnie.

I used 3 or 4 independent betting shops and a laddies in late 70,s/80 which had the board markers  sat on a stool,
wonder how many got a boardmarker to put up 10,s instead of 8,s whilst they took a price,must have went on ?

ronnie, get well soon chap. I went 3 years without getting Covid despite going out as often as I could but have now caught it twice at Cheltenham in March 23 and 24. God knows how one catches it at racecourses. Hardly spend a minute indoors and I'm more assiduous  than Howard Hughes washing after a visit to the gents. Suppose it the congregation of lots of people from around the country. All the best

DP

Thank you very kind words one thing certain i did not get it  at the payout que at the bookmakers joint.
Ronnie.

every shop I go to just a handful of people in there even on sat lunchtime

i was thanking my lucky stars for not getting the virus until my mate said its because youve had it all your life you fat idle twerp

Nice clip, got me very nostalgic about the good old days

Sorting out the betting slips by hand.  I remember my brother telling me about having to refund all the voided bets for the Grand National "that never was" He must have drank a whole bottle Scotch after work that evening!

I was working on-course for both the Esha Ness and bomb scare Nationals , crazy scenes   

esha ness the only nashnul winner i ever backed, at 66. would have won whatever