The gambling industry has accelerated into a multi-billion pound sector in the six decades since the first shops opened (Picture: Getty)
In firing the starting gun on betting shops, Harold Macmillian’s government unleashed a genie which has never been tamed.
Announced 64 years ago today, the Betting and Gaming Act gave the green light to bookmakers to open their doors the following year.
Aimed at brushing away archaic laws on gambling, the landmark reforms allowed bookies and casinos to take wagers over the counter.
Within months, street runners ferrying bets and cash were consigned to history and thousands of establishments were doing a brisk trade.
Skip forward to the iPhone era, and the UK industry is a multi-billion pound trade operating across numerous platforms, sports and subjects.
South American Esports or live virtual football at Ladbrokes’ Champions Stadium certainly weren’t in the policymakers’ sights.
Gambling expert Professor Leighton Vaughan Williams highlighted some of the changes since a time when Elvis topped the charts and a loaf of bread cost 6p.
‘In 1960, most gambling was illegal street betting with what was known as “bookies’ runners” who would place the bet on behalf of the punter,’ he says.
‘The government was getting nothing out of it, and following the first betting shops opening in 1961, the government introduced taxes five years later.
Punters study the form guide before placing a bet in Bethnal Green on May 3, 1961 (Picture: Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
‘Major changes in the following years included satellite television in 80s, the advent of the internet in the late 90s and then mobile and smartphone technology.
‘The launch of the National Lottery in 1994 was also a big moment that changed the perception of gambling, with people aged 16 able to go and buy a ticket.’
Before the reforms were set out on September 1, 1960, rules around gambling were arcane and muddled, with the wealthy able to exploit loopholes.
Anyone wanting to bet on horse racing or another sport had to show they had enough credit to set up an account with a bookmaker and do their dealings over the phone.
Source:: Metro
