The sworn enemy

[Mentholdan]

When betting shops were made legal the government literally issued bookmakers a licence to print money. What the government should have adopted is a tote system where all bets for any event go into a pot and winnings shared evenly, with the equity going back in to government coffers therefore aiding the economy. I can't see betting shops lasting, I think in the not too distant future they'll be as rare as rocking horse doo dah. I have no sympathy whatsoever for them. My neice works for Ladbrokes, she often works alone, gets spat at, sworn at, has stools thrown at the glass partition and verbal abuse on a very regular basis. You may not have witnessed this behaviour in your local shop but she works until 10pm and in late evenings it seems every lowlife and scumbag gravitate to the bookies at night. Ladbrokes pay her under a tenner an hour. I have every casino app I need on my phone and can bet on any sporting event 24/7. I have live TV on my phone with every BT sports and sky sports channel, every horseracing channel including all the major bookie feeds. I'm sure this will be the norm as time goes on, especially as the younger generation reach the legal age. I expect in 20 years time, or even less, an 18 year old will laugh when you tell them you used to go to a shop to place bets or play slots. I still use the shops occasionally but much prefer to bet in the comfort of my own front room. When they come up with an app so I can play slots on my smart tv I'll be in heaven.