The Yellow Sam betting coup was a successful sports betting scam, infamous within Irish and British thoroughbred horse racing.
It happened at Bellewstown on 26 June 1975, and was orchestrated by Barney Curley, a Northern Irish professional gambler and entrepreneur. By taking advantage of an under-handicapped horse and the lack of easy communications between the Bellewstown racing course and off-course bookmakers, Curley made a profit of over IR£300,000 (>€1.7m adjusted for inflation) – one of the largest betting coups in Irish history.
Read more about Yellow Sam Betting Coup: The Coup, Aftermath
Famous quotes containing the words yellow, sam and/or betting:
“Did Johnny look flashy?
Yes, his white-on-white shirt and tie were luminous.
His trousers were creased like knives to the tops of his shoes
And his yellow straw hat came down to his dark glasses.”
—David Wagoner (b. 1926)
“Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped!”
—Robert Pirosh, U.S. screenwriter, George Seaton, George Oppenheimer, and Sam Wood. Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx)
“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)