Coventry gambling (Casinos, Betting Shops, etc)

I've tried contacting BT Archives, Yellow Pages and Thomsons and still no-one has any traces of that Ladbrokes store. I have been thinking though and I think it was where City Arcade is. Is that what it was called in the 90's? Did they rebuild the city arcade? Does anyone remember it having an old flight of stairs where there was a balcony around the side of Ladbrokes?

Hi RSTEED. I remember going in that bookies a few times in the '90s. It was known as the Shelton Square branch. It was definitely opposite one of the outside stalls of the circular market, & was accessed up a flight of concrete steps. The steps were off one of the covered ways from Shelton Square to the market, somewhere near Woolies.

Ghengis Smith - YOU ARE A LEGEND!!! I have so many great memories going in there as I was still very young, full of happiness and had just got into racing.

Remembering the casino in Coundon, a true story springs to mind. Apparently taxi drivers used to visit the casino very near to closing and were offered the left over sandwiches for free. One night, the punters had eaten everything and there was nothing left for the taxi drivers. On the way out of the door in the early morning, one particular driver decided to help himself to a loaf from the early morning delivery. A couple of days later, he was called to the office of Allens Taxis where his theft was put to him. After strenuously denying it, the gaffer asked him if he would like a copy of the CCTV tape. Oops!

I and some friends of mine were members of said casino (was it the 3 C's?), but none of us were gamblers and I don't recall any of us using the 'tables'. I do remember it was quite busy Fri/Sat with lots of Chinese even then. All snacks and sandwiches were free anyway as was tea and coffee, so we would go in after the pubs shut and help ourselves, wander round and then leave without having to queue at the chip shop! What a cheek, I hear you say, but they could afford it! We must have been there the night the taxi drivers didn't get fed! It used to close at 4am.

The first betting shop was in Spon Street. It had a few tables and chairs, on the back wall were blackboards, a guy sat on a stool in front of them and wrote the list of runners and riders and prices in front of him with school chalk. In front of him was a couple of cash machines, none of this modern stuff, you could take a price but with only one board you only had the one price. There were no overnight declarations then, so if a trainer pulled his horse out at the last minute it caused havoc, trainers and owners bet the second or third fav at high price. Take the favourite out of the race at the last moment and they had a marvellous price for the new fav. On the price for three draws you had 45 to 1, this included 0-0. Bet a top team away from home against a bottom team and you could hardly lose on a day when a big number of draws took place and the bookie was reeling. so they brought in a cash limit and dropped the price to 33, but it wasn't difficult to win.

It must have been an illegal one then. The first legal betting shop in Coventry was opened in 1961, in Queen Victoria Road, by John O'Neil.

Mick Strong, No, the same one. I came out of Barras Lane, crossed the road and into the shop. I got the street wrong, but 61, and it ended my professional gambling career. See 'Kaga' if you're interested.