LICENSED - BOOKMAKERS AUSTRALIA
Bookie or Bookmaker:
A Turf Accountant. A professional bettor. One who analyzes, determines,
or simply posts the betting odds in games, especially horse racing and team sports, receives and
records wagers from a number of people on a regular basis, collects from losers, and pays off win-
ners. Bookmaking started around 1780 at Richard Tattersall's horse auction business. In fact, his
name is immortalized at English racetracks today by bookmakers who set up their stands at the
"Tattersall Enclosure." The term, bookie, originated with the activity of "making book" or keeping
a notebook of wagers. In the early days bookmakers were involved in handicapping. However,
chaos prevailed both at the track and in betting shops throughout London until the tradition of the
"honest bookmaker." A bookie's reputation of honesty was and is--very important for the success
of the business, and apparently originated with the reputations of two famous bookmakers, Fred
Swindell and Leviathan Davies. Around 1850, Davis also created "lists of odds" that were posted
throughout London, which made off-track betting possible.
