In a city as old as London, 60 years is hardly a dent. Yet, in the world of gambling, 60 years has rapidly altered the landscape of the market. Historic venues like Crockfords have shut their doors for good, while online betting companies like bet365 are earning billions annually. In 'A Gamblers Tale,' Stevie Thomas tells his experiences of the gambling industry from the 1960s to the 2000s, recounting the betting shops and casinos opened by his father to his experiences in Las Vegas and Hong Kong, to the many historic gambling venues across the UK capital. It offers a window into how the market once was, putting the changes of The Old Smoke into sharp perspective. Releasing posthumously, Gambling Insider Staff Writer Beth Turner spoke with Stevie’s son, Max Thomas, about the release of the book and the light it shines on London’s gambling scene today.
Can you to introduce yourself, who you are and what we’re talking about today?
My name is Max Thomas. I am Stevie Thomas’ oldest son. My dad started writing a book when he was 39. Two years later, the book still wasn’t completed. He then met somebody who created a manuscript for him. Unfortunately, my dad passed away in 2019 and my mum, myself and my youngest brother made it our mission to make this into a ‘proper book.’
When my dad first started writing it, he was recording it into a Dictaphone and that was being typed up. The tone is colloquial, London Cockney, and we wanted to keep that. It details the story of his father, who was originally Greek Cypriot, who came over on a boat from Cyprus, opened up a casino then betting shops and finally got involved in property. It is set against the backdrop of the whole world, really. There’s London, Kent, the gambling capital of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Basically, anything you think you could gamble on... my dad has a story about it.
Anybody who’s grown up around London will know the places that are talked about, and especially the London historians will know some of the older casinos and where the games took place.
The book feels like verbal storytelling. You can tell it’s been dictated. Why keep it as long-form text, as opposed to breaking it up into chapters? Why keep it in that formatt, as opposed to fine-tuning it?I actually don’t think it’s something we originally thought about. If you knew my dad, he was this larger-than-life character who lit up a room and had so much energy. He had so much energy, Beth, that people would think he was on drugs! I think that’s why you can’t put the book into chapters because the only measure in the book is chronological. It will go from 1983 to the summer of 1984 and the only real measure is time.
What I think is quite good about how it was kept is that it’s reflective of the pace and the energy of my dad... If anybody who reads the book knows my dad, I want them to read it and be able to hear his voice.
Anybody who’s grown up around London will know the places that are talked about, and especially the London historians will know some of the older casinos and where the games took place
Your dad tells a lot of stories throughout this book. He talks about your grandad, as well. Are there any stories your dad told you that didn’t make it into the book? As I’ve got older, the biggest thing I’ve taken from [the book] was how normal my dad seems to make these massive amounts of money. Like ridiculous, obscene amounts of money. I’m just like – what? For example, he made up 20 grand on one roulette spin. That was £20,000 ($25,371) in the 1980s; £20,000 is a lot of money now, but £20,000 in the '80s is crazy. I think, as I got older, the stories are more shocking to me.
There are a few stories that weren’t put in. I think maybe because there were people that didn’t want to be in it. Also, I think the book’s quite jovial and it wasn’t always like that. There was a time when my dad had a couple of really hard years; but as a family, we didn’t know it. But that is the truth of gambling, isn’t it? I think we talk about gambling in a very positive light because it gave us the life we live today originally from my grandfather... but there is a downside to it, which isn’t talked about in the book.
What’s something in the book that was normal in the past, but perhaps less so now?
One thing I’ve taken from the book is there seemed to be a real amount of honour and camaraderie between these gamblers... It’s like for everybody who sat down at the table, there was a friendship element to it. There was obviously a buzz because they all loved doing that. But, there was this truth and honour between them. From the tone of the book, London seemed to be a lot safer and fun in those times... it was a very affluent time for the people in those circles.
Crockfords shut down recently. Do you think the closing of that venue reflects a change in the gambling industry in London?
We are in a time when we’ve got venues closing down, but we’ve got adverts on TV for gambling and everything now is about comfort, it’s about speed and having everything on the tip of your fingers on your phone. Back in the day, you had to go to the casino to bet, you had to go to the betting shop. Now just sitting indoors, you think oh, I fancy playing a bit of roulette? Just get my phone out. There isn’t that drive or desire to go out.
What do you think the culture of gambling in London now is and how do you think the internet has shifted that culture?
I think now it has become a young person’s game. Gambling has never been one of my vices. I’ve had a little on the Grand National, and it was usually with my dad. That was it. But now I’ve got friends that are placing accumulators on the football every week and it’s a lot more accessible for a wide variety of people, especially with smaller betting stakes; you can put 50p or £1 on stuff, and I think to go to the casino back then, you had to have a lot more money around you.
He made up 20 grand on one roulette spin. That was £20,000 ($25,371) in the eighties. £20,000 is a lot of money now, but £20,000 in the eighties is crazy
Land-based London casinos are still generating large revenues. What do you think these casinos are doing to keep people coming when technology makes gambling so accessible?
I haven’t been in a London casino for a couple of years. I think the last one I went to was the Hippodrome in Leicester Square. But, if you go to the Hippodrome now, it’s not very gambling focused. There are bars on all of the floors. There’s music. There’s a DJ. They’ve attached a theatre where they were doing Magic Mike... and due to licensing, it’s staying open later. So it’s kind of becoming a: “We’ve been out. The pubs are shutting at one o’clock. Where should we go now? Casino.” People are ending up in the casino and their primary drive wasn’t to go to the casino – their primary drive is, well, we can continue drinking there.
What are your hopes with the publication of your dad’s work?
I think the ultimate outcome, what we would love, is for friends and family to read the book and, like I said in the beginning, hear my dad’s tone because it means we’ve done our job... But, to just read it and think “Wow, what a crazy life this family has had.” To live through some of the memories and think, is this even real? If you don’t know my dad, enjoy some of the crazy gambling stories. It’s four/five decades of industry in a place like London, which is changing constantly. It’s really exciting stuff.
A Gambler's Tale by Stevie Thomas is currently available via Amazon
