Product Description

The fascinating tale of how one company spawned a huge international business success story, created legions of new gamblers and revolutionised the worlds of gambling and sport for ever. In 2000 a company called Betfair, founded by Andrew Black and Ed Wray, began trading. Since then, the brainchild of these two contrasting English innovators has meant the world of gambling, sport, the Internet, government attitudes to betting and public perceptions of what is behind a 'flutter' haven't been the same. Betfair is an Internet betting exchange, which pairs up via the web those who want to have a bet ('backers') with those who want to take one ('layers'), cutting out the traditional middleman, namely the bookmaker. The company's success - Betfair today is one of the world's ten biggest companies operating on the web - has fuelled exponential growth in Internet betting. What's more, the operation has revolutionised the way the globe gambles, forcing bookmakers to change, altered how sport deals with corruption based around betting and how governments worldwide treat betting, and caused shifts in cultural and social attitudes to betting generally. You Bet considers the Betfair story, a remarkable tale of how a simple idea tapped into the modern-day global psyche for betting and became a multi-billion dollar company. But much more than that, You Bet considers the worldwide impact, culturally and socially, of the explosion in Internet betting in which Betfair has been both an agent for change and a beneficiary of evolving attitudes to betting. This vibrant new book takes you to the heart of the colourful world of betting, features a range of characters with personality and opinions in proportion and offers unique analysis of why people gamble. The book is both an inspirational - and aspirational - tale of how the dream of two men became a reality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32505 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

James Willoughby, chief correspondent, Racing Post
The mark of the quality of writing in any book is the speed with which the reader can absorb the ideas. Suffice to say, I flew through the thing.

Oliver Holt, Daily Mirror
Colin Cameron's terrific new book

Irish Times
The appeal of this book is that, not only do we get to meet that most eclectic mix of characters, known collectively as gamblers, but we also get an account of a very modern success story. In fact, this book is more about enterprise and clever marketing strategies than it is about sport and gambling.....thoroughly enjoyable

Customer Reviews

Well researched study of a British success story
Betfair is without doubt one of the biggest British business success stories of the last 10 years. When the mainstream media's idea of business coverage is the jumped up egotists on 'The Apprentice' it is refreshing to have a book that highlights the global success of a modern forward, thinking company.

In the past 8 years Betfair and its concept of allowing punters to back and lay with each other rather than via bookmakers has completely revolutionised an industry, reducing prices for punters, highlighting possible cheating and in the process thoroughly annoying the incumbent traditional bookmakers who had had it good for so long.

Colin Cameron's book on Betfair is extremely well researched. He has gained access not only to many senior figures within Betfair but also from throughout the gambling industry, both peers of Betfair and the bookmakers who they competed with. His book covers all aspects of the Betfair story, from the background of the founders, the hard work of the initial idea, the constant battle with the incumbent bookmakers right through the wider impacts of the concept and the changes the industry can expect in the future.

The book is well written and engaging. My only complaint would be that it isn't written in chronological order and thus jumps around slightly. This I would imagine would make the book a difficult read for someone who isn't already familiar with Betfair. Also, as someone who knows quite a bit about Betfair, I felt that a few (but not many) points were missed, such as the fact that regulation of people acting as bookmakers on Betfair is irrelevant since the company can guarantee that they will always pay out, or the importance digital odds played in allowing punters to trade out of positions at low gains thus generating more liquidity.

All in all, a great read though about one of the most innovative companies of recent years.

A remarkable tale
I am not accustomed to betting, and am not particularly interested in the topic. At least, that was what I thought until I read this utterly absorbing and engaging account of that world. I have read other sporting books written by Colin Cameron and he manages to make each topic about which he writes come to life with his descriptions of the quirky and driven characters who inhabit the particular world, whether it be soccer, horse racing or now gaming. This is a book which will fascinate you, appall you and make you laugh out loud in equal measure. But more than that it will move you to get off your backside and follow your dreams.If you do so, maybe like the protagonists in this beautifully reserached book, they will come true after all. Highly recommended.

Knows his onions
This guy really does know his onions - he knows his sport, especially his racing, and he knows the world of gambling.I like the way he's kept it interesting by looking at in different themes. You definitely do not need to be an anorak to enjoy this. Very accessible. Entertaining read.