I have no wish to turn the above Positive into a Negative, Party - there's no profit in it, but 2008 did you say - I woudn't BANK on it - didn't you mention some of your banks had already gone - in racing\betting all the bookie needs is time.

My mum and dad were bookies for 47 years, from the day I was born I was either driven about by my mum in the family BRG Jaguar, or else Lou, our chauffeur, in a Humber Snipe - Only my mum drove the Jag., simply because my dad could not see his own hands, blind as a bat, but a hell of a brain.

My dad always drummed into us, all a bookie requires is time - Oh and the other thing he advised from when we were very young - to only bet with him and my mum, as many bets as we liked, so long as we could put the cash
down up front.
Yikes we had people delivering and picking up clocks from the big works' places - they were full of timed bets, so that nobody could put a bet on after time.
Mind you it looks like we would have had a Mini car if Top Rank had been on the scene - what was that again, 16 years, - Bwwwwwaaaaaaaahaha !!