Radio 4

This programme by the BBC's Chris Ledgard is well worth a listen if you have a spare half hour. I found it interesting to hear that even thirty years ago, people were saying that the betting shop was doomed. Plus ca change. Same issues, new set of whipping boys. :-)

Good luck for Cheltenham, everyone!

“Fifty years ago, a young fellow entering the bookmakers would place his virgin bet on a horse. These days, an 18-year-old's first flutter is more likely to be on the football or even the winner of The X Factor. And while you can view hours of the beautiful game without ever hearing mention of the word "odds", it's impossible to watch a horse race without constant references to betting. Racing enthusiast and broadcaster Chris Ledgard asks if the people behind the sport of kings have lost the plot and what they can do to turn young people into punters. On a freezing night at Kempton Park racecourse he meets the man charged with changing the sport's image - but the struggling horse owners think there's not a Burlington Bertie's chance of this happening.”