'The Pools' changes hands...

[Cowbridge Blue]

Time was almost everyone it seems used to have a weekly flutter on the Pools in the hope of winning a fortune.
In its heyday 10 million took part but today, with competition from betting shops, online gambling and the lottery, just 300,000 fill in their coupon each week.

The world's oldest football gaming business which began in 1923 with Littlewoods selling coupons outside Old Trafford, was bought out in 2000 by Sportech who then quickly swallowed up, Zetters and Vernons. Sportech are now selling on to another anonymous enterprise but interesting to note that the business last year turned over almost 34 million from which profit was more than 15 million.

Like most readers I thought I knew a bit about football but forecasting results is notoriously difficult and best left to housewives.

For an old timer like me, the story marks the demise of another household institution that I grew up with and, regretfully, the passing of time.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37346981

[lincoln blue]

Reminds me of a regular girlfriend I had in the late 1950s early 60s.
She was a Pools Checker for Littlewoods (round the back of The Prince of Wales somewhere I think) and they had to clock on sometime before the 3pm kick offs on a Saturday.
They (hundreds of them)were then guarded like the crown jewels until all the coupons had been checked, and that was always late into the evening.
I had a Pontypridd Saturday evening girlfriend to fill the void as I knew "L" was safely locked up until nearly Sunday, I used to tell "L" I was having an early night.
In the close season I had to ditch the Saturday girl and sign on another or others for the next football season, happy days.

[David Vincent]

Reminds me of a regular girlfriend I had in the late 1950s early 60s.
She was a Pools Checker for Littlewoods (round the back of The Prince of Wales somewhere I think) and they had to clock on sometime before the 3pm kick offs on a Saturday.
They (hundreds of them)were then guarded like the crown jewels until all the coupons had been checked, and that was always late into the evening.
I had a Pontypridd Saturday evening girlfriend to fill the void as I knew "L" was safely locked up until nearly Sunday, I used to tell "L" I was having an early night.
In the close season I had to ditch the Saturday girl and sign on another or others for the next football season, happy days.

I'm not surprised you had to move to Lincoln. Sounds like you needed to win the pools to pay the child maintenance.

I didn't even know the pools were still going. When I was a kid I used to spend hours picking the draws for my parents. I thought if you really knew your football then you could find the draws. We never won anything.

[Dr Lecter]

My old man used to do the pools religiously.

Every Saturday we'd sit there hoping for 8 draws - even before I had a clue what it all meant.

Many a Saturday me and my brothers would sit there shouting out the number after each team while the old man threatened to beat the shit out of us unless we stopped so he could check his coupon.

Good times.