Racing, whether it is betting on horses or dogs, can be profitable; at least, that is what Clive Holt learned in the 60s. Clive’s father bet on greyhounds in the 60s, which is why Clive decided to quit his job at the Electricity Board and take gambling up as his career. He started out with random gambles given his finances. He was not one to keep proper records either. Rather than being a man like Phil Bull or William Hill who had heads for business, he was one to approach gambling randomly, yet he managed to make a great profit from it. This is because he learned to set up records and finally use business practises like a betting bank.
The first bet he ever placed managed to earn him 67 pounds on Western Jewel. In six weeks he made more money than what he made working at the electricity company. Typically he won less than 1000 pounds every time he bet, but during the 60s and 70s it was enough to amass a small fortune to purchase luxury cars, a country estate, and go on numerous holidays.
Clive Holt is still alive today, being born in the mid 1900s. He speaks about his gambling on races stating that he was successful because he bet during the week, typically four times, rather than going to the races on Saturday. He was known to William Hill who closed his accounts in 78. Coral, another important punter of the times, also closed his accounts.
Clive Holt has stopped placing bets today, not for lack of funds, but his age. In one interview he said it was difficult to make bets these days. When he reflects on his past bets even he admits there was no true strategy to it. Rather, he used what was in his pocket to make a bet. Yet, he was successful enough to quit a real job and bet full time and set himself up for life, so apparently he was born with lady luck on his side. As he continued to bet he did get a head for numbers many times, making a 50% profit because he bet on doubles rather than singles which could have earned him around 60%. As he changed his lifestyle in betting, Holt managed to make it more like a business thus gaining better control of his money.
Clive did marry and produced four children. When he spoke in an interview he stated he could have stopped placing bets at any time, but the fact was he was successful. If something else had come along to make it possible to earn the luxury lifestyle he created with betting he could have given up gambling. It was the fact that he could make it a successful career to afford the luxury he wanted that made him continue. To be successful, Holt stated one has to have confidence in the bets they place. It doesn’t matter about strategy, but what you learn and what you take from it to make successes.