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Alot of people think the bookmakers is a den of iniquity. It’s not like that.” After 20 years working in betting shops across Glasgow, Diane Francis – a manager with Ladbrokes Coral – knows her regular customers well. “We’re very much community-based, we build relationships within communities and we tend to have relationships where we can keep an eye on our customers, particularly our older ones.”

Gambling critics might baulk at the notion of the local bookie rooted in the local community, but the reality is that many communities have lost their local library, pub or burgh hall. Increasingly, people are becoming excluded, particularly older people. For many, the local bookie is a safe place to bet, meet friends and watch live racing. “Our staff are very passionate about promoting responsible gambling, and they really care about their customers. The local bookie is part of their daily routine. It’s a meeting place,” says Tracey Campbell, an area manager with William Hill.

Tracey is responsible for 56 shops and 270 staff in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. Commerciality is a big part of her job, but so is community. She and her colleagues regularly volunteer at Starter Packs, a charity in Govan that provides essential household goods for previously homeless people who have found new homes. Staff help however they can, sorting out clothes and household items, redecorating the charity’s shop or raising funds in shops.

This year, Tracey and more than 100 of her William Hill colleagues, will take part in one of the country’s biggest charity challenges, the Kiltwalk, walking over 25 miles in support of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland. In fact, Tracey and a hardy few will take part in four Kiltwalk challenges this year, completing over 100 miles in an attempt to raise more than £6,000 for the charity.

This sense of community spirit is alive across the industry. In 2017, shop staff from Ladbrokes Coral, the UK’S largest retail bookmaker, raised thousands of pounds for the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

Following a marathon run of fundraising events, including quiz nights, collection tins in shops and sponsored walks, shop teams from Glasgow and surrounding areas secured a massive £35,000 for much-needed equipment. In Edinburgh, Ladbrokes Coral teams raised a further £4,000 for the Capital’s ‘Sick Kids’ hospital through a variety of fund-raising efforts.

Betting shops have also helped fund and support responsible gambling campaigns, including a neighbourhood campaign in Inverness and a six-month project in Scottish schools and youth groups to highlight the risks associated with problem gambling.

So, far from being “dens of iniquity” betting shops are, in fact, very much part of the community they serve, providing a fun and friendly social hub, particularly for those who feel isolated, and raising funds and volunteering for those in need.

Betting shops have felt the pinch in recent years as consumers increasingly opt to bet on other forms of