Bookies stung as ‘classic’ gambling coup pays off It was an astonishing gamble that went off like clockwork. A fleet of drivers were deployed to lay bets at more than 100 different bookies in an elaborate betting coup in the Republic that landed up to €200,000 (£165,659). The masterminds won the six-figure sum by paying a massive team to each back the winning horse with small stakes of €200 (£165) each, at long odds of as much as 14/1. And last night the Irish Bookmakers Association reluctantly saluted the audacious gamble, admitting: “It's a classic. They did nothing illegal.†Businessman Douglas Taylor, the joint-owner of the horse at the centre of the plan, is understood to have reaped a share of the rewards. Mr Taylor is managing director of recruitment company MCR, which is understood to have been involved in bringing together the people power to pull off the plan. Up to 200 agency workers arrived at betting shops at 6.55pm on Monday evening, when an alarm on a watch sounded the signal to place the bets on D Four Dave. They were given strict instructions to be at the counter before the alarm went off. They were told to tell staff they would take the odds available, which were as high as 14/1 before later falling to 5/1. If big money had been laid on the horse earlier in the day then the bookies would immediately have become wary and slashed odds on the horse. But instead the gamble was landed in style, as drivers were dispatched by to more than 100 bookmakers in counties Dublin and Kildare. Nice one
Didnt go off like clockwork,it was mainly foreign nationals given the task of getting the money on and they ****ed up showing shop staff the written note they had,doing the bets too early and too late.Ended up the main bookmakers knew exactly what was going on and avoided a much bigger payout contracting the winners sp.
That's the main reason they used foreigners,cos they knew eejits like us couldn't keep our mouths shut and would scupper the price! Plus we would have stuck it in the general tip thread and the horse would have been jinxed.
They couldnt do it in a big name bookies as if they did, that bookies would have lobbed 5k on it on course and the price would have been slashed. Hacketts got hit with it and a few others. They done it in 2 bruce betting shops I believe.
Heard a few mention that, that the alarm bells would be ringing if they tried to place 200 quid at 14/1 but I have seen the chinese in ladbrokes sticking hundreds and hundered on greyhounds and horses so should give the money to 200 ramdom chinese people no questions asked then.
One of the 200 was arrested cos he was sweating bullets and acting suspiciously in the betting shop before it was time to place the bet. So the staff just called the guards and he was arrested!! Brilliant!!
Jesus that was great idea.Obviously had enormous faith in the horse to win to lay out that much money in one go...
I would say someone pulling something like that off is not on the breadline. Has got a bit of publicity for his firm as well.
True.... Though must ave had great faith in the horse though to be that sure it would win...know u need the cash in the first place to do it....
instead of all that complicated messing around, why didn't he just walk into the bookies and put 20 grand or what ever it was on the horse at 14/1? would have been simpler