O/T The astonishing decline of William Hill shops in the City Of London

[Mtoto]

Back in the day going to a bookies was a real experience.
Firstly, the windows were blocked out with drawings of jockeys on horses and a man kicking a ball (for fear that people might catch sight of the inside and become gambling addicts) so when you walked in you were entering blind. For some reason I then remember a bead curtain (was that real?).
Once you actually got inside everyone seemed to be f*cked. One guy would only have only one arm. Another an iron lung. He would, nevertheless, have a rollie on the go as would the other 3 men in there meaning it wasn't clear what direction the desk was through the haze.
I would venture forward past a couple of men watching a horse race on a tiny television mounted high on the wall. There was no emotion, barely even an utterance, as they threw small yellow bits of paper on the floor and reached for pens that were a bit too small to hold comfortably.
I would collect a bit of white paper with carbon paper beneath and write "Grand National" and a horses name on it before creeping up to the desk past the copies of newspapers that were stapled to the wall. A woman would spend a few more seconds than she needed to counting bits of paper behind the desk before taking my slip, passing through a machine I had never seen the like of before and asking for double the amount I thought I had bet. I styled it out. It was OK.

You don't get any of that on line.

When I was working in the City in the mid-80s I used to go to a Hills shop near Finsbury Circus that was up two flights of narrow stairs, with a small room at the top, no furniture of any sort and a single blower on the wall. At lunchtime, punters would gather until there was simply no room for anyone else and latecomers would have to go elsewhere. If it was raining outside, there would sometimes be 30 of us crammed inside, with steam rising gently from our jackets as we stared at the blower bringing news from Fakenham, Plumpton and Sedgefield.

 

[Billy Seagull]

Will you tell us what market you win on?! Can't you just use other bookies?

I do use other books and Betfair but Hills make more mistakes on this particular market than any of the others so they tend to be more profitable, if you can get on. Its a mainstream market on the horses, I'm not going to say which market on a public forum for obvious financial reasons.

 

[desprateseagull]

W Hills and Coral to merge, maybe..? similar brand colours?

 

[8ace]

W Hills and Coral to merge, maybe..? similar brand colours?

Corals are merging with Ladbrokes.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

I do use other books and Betfair but Hills make more mistakes on this particular market than any of the others so they tend to be more profitable, if you can get on. Its a mainstream market on the horses, I'm not going to say which market on a public forum for obvious financial reasons.

Well done for finding an edge, do you withdraw balance immed I wonder? Leaving some/all of it there for a while does no harm & they will look elsewhere hoping you'll give some back & forget about you....

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Corals are merging with Ladbrokes.

& Betty Power will be a monster also. Hills lack of investment in their estate & mergers looking like leaving them well behind now

 

[Billy Seagull]

Well done for finding an edge, do you withdraw balance immed I wonder? Leaving some/all of it there for a while does no harm & they will look elsewhere hoping you'll give some back & forget about you....

I leave some in there but with the amount of mistakes they've made in the last few weeks I had to withdraw chunks of it. Accounts are dead now so will be backing in the shops when time allows. Its a bit of a pain but worth it. Fortunately, evening racing finishes until next April after Today apart from the all weather so that makes things easier too.

 

[Ernest]

I leave some in there but with the amount of mistakes they've made in the last few weeks I had to withdraw chunks of it. Accounts are dead now so will be backing in the shops when time allows. Its a bit of a pain but worth it. Fortunately, evening racing finishes until next April after Today apart from the all weather so that makes things easier too.

There is evening racing right they way through September this year

 

[Billy Seagull]

That's a pain in the arse[emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]

 

[Ernest]

That's a pain in the arse[emoji35][emoji35][emoji35]

Used to be the last Saturday in August and the Windsor meeting, now it's never ending with starts about 4-4.30pm

 

[osgood]

They ALL do it mate !

 

[osgood]

Will you tell us what market you win on?! Can't you just use other bookies?

They ALL do it mate , not just to Winning accounts either , some are closed for just not making them enough, some just for Looking like they are going to win something ,
They arnt Bookmakers anymore, They are Predators , just trying to hook their "Big Ones ",( via introductory offers ), all the little fish (accounts that arnt profitable enough )are thrown back into the sea ,
that , is the modus operandi these corporations use , disguised with slogans like "the home of betting", They DONT take bets !

 

[Billy Seagull]

Yes, they all do it. I can't stake what I want with the likes of Boyles as they shit themselves at the thought of taking over £100 Betfair (exchange) is ok but the commission hurts a bit and they are have a premium charge for bigger winners, not that I'm one of those....yet.

 

[Woodchip]

No loss really. Far easier online and that way you don't have to mix with the drunks, druggies and failed journalists that frequent these awful places.

You missed failed actors.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

ALL High Street Bookies are only open for the FOBT's now, the racing, football and other sporting events are an inconvenience to them. If they could they would just have 16 machines in each shop and nothing else

 

[8ace]

Miniories no more . East Cheap no more.
Bishopsgate no more. Creechurch Lane no more .

I hear in Brighton Duke Street and that awful Palace Manager is about to go and Surrey Street (dear Greg) is relocating to Queens Road.

Discuss?

The new casino on Queens Road looked like it was ready to open today when I went past earlier.

 

[mona]

Had always assumed the mass closure of betting shops in B&H was symptomatic of gentrification by the yuppies. Obviously online betting is also a big factor. Personally I don't enjoy online betting as much.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

The new casino on Queens Road looked like it was ready to open today when I went past earlier.

Casino? You sure!? Hotel ? On Yorkies site? Who's running it? Why haven't I been invited to the opening?

 

[Vegas Seagull]

ALL High Street Bookies are only open for the FOBT's now, the racing, football and other sporting events are an inconvenience to them. If they could they would just have 16 machines in each shop and nothing else

Not any more, taxed through the roof now, need to get back to basics

 

[Vegas Seagull]

& Betty Power will be a monster also. Hills lack of investment in their estate & mergers looking like leaving them well behind now

Hills ex Mecca Duke St ex Cranbourne st aka Clock Tower now shut