The big names in the bookmaking business

Take William Hill (1903 – 1971) for instance. The founder of one of the UK’s largest bookmakers started out by dashing around town on his motorcycle, taking illegal bets. He once claimed that legal bookmakers were “a cancer on society” but decided in 1966 that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, so opened up one of his own.

Former Las Vegas casino operator Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal (1929-2008) has often been referred to as a pioneer of sports gambling, after becoming the first to operate a sportsbook from within a casino.  Allegedly associated with the Chicago organised crime outfit, he was eventually banned from all Nevada casinos. The Hollywood film Casino was based on his life, with Robert De Niro playing the part of Lefty.

Named in 2006 by the Racing Post as the most famous bookmaker in the World, Victor Chandler (1951-present) was the first bookmaker to realise the importance of online gambling, in particular online casinos. Still chairman of the company that bears his name, he was also the first to move his business to an offshore location. 

Irishman Barney Eastwood (1932- present) ran a local boxing club in the late 1950’s before turning his attention to promoting boxers such as Barry McGuigan and running a chain of betting shops. In February 2006 he sold all 54 shops to UK betting giant Ladbrokes for £135 million. 

Last on our list of trail blazers is Ratan Khatri, a pioneer of the betting movement in India, after transforming Matka (a form of gambling in India popular in the ‘60’s) into India’s biggest betting racket and establishing a nationwide gambling network that lasted for decades.