THE MAN who coined the phrase, "a licence to print money" when referring to the betting shop business has died.
Gorbals-born John Banks passed away at the weekend just eight days short of his 69th birthday.
Banks began his on-course career as a boards bookie before graduating to the cut and thurst of the rails.
At his peak the flamboyant Glaswegian operated a string of offices in his home city before adding to his fortune in the on-course scene.
But controversy struck when he was warned off for four years after being found guilty of paying former jockey and current TV pundit John Francome for information from the late Fred Winter's yard.
Banks is a hero to `fearless Freddie Williams', currently one of the biggest layers in the game.
Williams said: "John was my idol when I worked as an engineer on a bottling plant and in the 1960's and 70's.
"He ran most of the betting shops in Glasgow and there were always stories and pictures about him in the Daily Record when he was posing with champagne or a fancy car.
"He knew all the tricks in the book but he was a legend in the Scottish bookmaking scene and he created all my dreams of places like Cheltenham."
Always a colourful character the betting ring certainly won't somehow be the same without the man wearing the fedora and dark glasses.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/content_objectid=13277292_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-HORSE-RACING--END-OF-AN-ERA-name_page.html
Gorbals-born John Banks passed away at the weekend just eight days short of his 69th birthday.
Banks began his on-course career as a boards bookie before graduating to the cut and thurst of the rails.
At his peak the flamboyant Glaswegian operated a string of offices in his home city before adding to his fortune in the on-course scene.
But controversy struck when he was warned off for four years after being found guilty of paying former jockey and current TV pundit John Francome for information from the late Fred Winter's yard.
Banks is a hero to `fearless Freddie Williams', currently one of the biggest layers in the game.
Williams said: "John was my idol when I worked as an engineer on a bottling plant and in the 1960's and 70's.
"He ran most of the betting shops in Glasgow and there were always stories and pictures about him in the Daily Record when he was posing with champagne or a fancy car.
"He knew all the tricks in the book but he was a legend in the Scottish bookmaking scene and he created all my dreams of places like Cheltenham."
Always a colourful character the betting ring certainly won't somehow be the same without the man wearing the fedora and dark glasses.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/content_objectid=13277292_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-HORSE-RACING--END-OF-AN-ERA-name_page.html
