Letter: Memories of street bookies

There was no printed betting slip, it was a cigarette packet that was used for the three x six penny doubles and a sixpenny treble, 10p in today’s money. On the cig packet you would put your initials RB or a number, say 147. If you had ought to come after racing, say 6pm, the bookie would be at his spot and you’d say RB or 147and he’d look into his little book and pay you out. Occasionally these bookies run out of luck and would be caught and fined. This was the government taking its cut.

Nowadays you don’t need an old cig packet, you can sit at home and gamble and there’s something the street bookie never thought of, that’s this pay £5 and get £35 free plays or pay £10 and get £60 in free plays. Day after day these adverts appear on the television, it won’t be long before it’s pay £1 and get £100 in free plays.

There was one reassuring thing about street bookies, even if they didn’t give you a free bet and that was you knew where and who your few bob was going too.

Mr Richard Billups, East Avenue, Rawmarsh