Britain at the Bookies (documentario BBC)
Inviato: 11/08/2015 - 23:33
Tony, of the bookmaker Coral, has run a successful branch in Huddersfield for 20 years, though he has never been a betting man himself. That is probably because, as part one of the three-part documentary Britain At The Bookies quickly made apparent, gambling is a mug's game.
Britain’s betting shops are a long way from the glamour of a Monte Carlo casino. Here, it was mostly pensioners quietly frittering away their winter fuel allowances on the races, while Tony busied himself wiping sweaty fingerprints off the fixed-odds betting machines. These relatively recent introductions to the bookies are the crack cocaine of gambling, raking in around £870 per week per machine, and hopelessly hooking compulsive types, such as the unemployed Stuart.
There are also some gamblers who seem to know what they are doing, like the anorak-y office worker Sean. He placed his bets online and spent his winnings on such sensible investments as a new bathroom. Yet, even in Sean’s case, the house always wins eventually, thanks to sophisticated technology which allows Coral HQ to track the IP addresses of high rollers and close accounts when they start winning big. Like I said, a mug's game.
Part1:
Tony has been given the task to try to turn around the fortunes around of the Cherrytree branch in Huddersfield which has a bad reputation for disruptive and often violent customers.
Part2:
This episode charts the unfolding drama of a big race day at Doncaster from opposing points of view, showing the battle between punters and bookmakers. Traders at Coral's HQ set odds to attract customers and beat their rivals, while at trackside, independent bookie Keith Johnson tries to offer better deals than the high-street giants, and passionate race-goers Andy and Gosia study every tiny detail of the horses and trainers before placing their bets. Elsewhere, professional tipster Steve receives some family news that could make him change his ways for good.
Part3:
Friday night at Romford dogs is not what it used to be with takings lower for independent bookie Doug Tyler. On the Britwell Estate in Slough, Coral is opening a new shop. The show also finds how how the betting culture is now 24/7 and what the future holds for gambling.
Britain’s betting shops are a long way from the glamour of a Monte Carlo casino. Here, it was mostly pensioners quietly frittering away their winter fuel allowances on the races, while Tony busied himself wiping sweaty fingerprints off the fixed-odds betting machines. These relatively recent introductions to the bookies are the crack cocaine of gambling, raking in around £870 per week per machine, and hopelessly hooking compulsive types, such as the unemployed Stuart.
There are also some gamblers who seem to know what they are doing, like the anorak-y office worker Sean. He placed his bets online and spent his winnings on such sensible investments as a new bathroom. Yet, even in Sean’s case, the house always wins eventually, thanks to sophisticated technology which allows Coral HQ to track the IP addresses of high rollers and close accounts when they start winning big. Like I said, a mug's game.
Part1:
Tony has been given the task to try to turn around the fortunes around of the Cherrytree branch in Huddersfield which has a bad reputation for disruptive and often violent customers.
Part2:
This episode charts the unfolding drama of a big race day at Doncaster from opposing points of view, showing the battle between punters and bookmakers. Traders at Coral's HQ set odds to attract customers and beat their rivals, while at trackside, independent bookie Keith Johnson tries to offer better deals than the high-street giants, and passionate race-goers Andy and Gosia study every tiny detail of the horses and trainers before placing their bets. Elsewhere, professional tipster Steve receives some family news that could make him change his ways for good.
Part3:
Friday night at Romford dogs is not what it used to be with takings lower for independent bookie Doug Tyler. On the Britwell Estate in Slough, Coral is opening a new shop. The show also finds how how the betting culture is now 24/7 and what the future holds for gambling.
