Special report

COMPUTERS will kill off the traditional racecourse bookie and wreck the racing atmosphere, Burnley's only licensed course bookmaker has warned.

The Levy Board, which is negotiating the future of racecourses, wants to see every bookie linked to a computer network by the year 2000.

John Brown, who runs his business with partner Arthur Wilkinson and his son Sean Brown, said: "We are fighting the move to introduce computers because we believe it would be the death of bookmaking as we know it on every race course.

"The computers will costs us about £7,000, which will push people out of the business.

"It will also slow us down because, whereas we can take a bet in seconds now, we would have to feed each one through the computer which could take twice as long. The atmosphere will go because there will be no need for a tick-tack."

John, 61, who now lives in Padiham, learned the bookie's semaphore when he used to work at Manchester races in the 1950s. He set his own business up in 1971 with Arthur, who is also from Burnley.

After eight hard years working the cheap rings they were given a spot in the prestigious Tattersall's enclosure, where there are more people and more money. Now John takes the bets, Arthur notes them down and Sean uses the tick-tack language taught to him by dad when he was just eight.

Three years ago John was voted on to the Northern Bookmakers Protection Association and serves as a director.

He said: "I am very proud to come from Burnley and people always come up to me and talk about it when they see Burnley on the board. They often ask me what is happening with the football team.

"I never in my life wanted to do anything else and if they leave us alone and forget the computer idea I will continue to be a bookie until I drop."

Asked if he liked a flutter, John added: "I wouldn't back a horse to save my life. I say people are mugs to back horses. Clever people back horses but they cannot win."

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