WHO ARE WE?
Roy Holbrook oversees
EIGHT Winning Post betting shops in the
Bristol region with the promise of
another to come at Portwall Lane,
opposite Redcliffe Church in the city.
The Hartcliffe-born Holbrook was seldom
far from sport – in the seventies he
kept goal for Suburban League side
Teyfant Athletic, helping them to a
famous Bosley Cup success while a junior
side. And it stands to reason that he
was a regular punter at his local
bookmakers, that after undertaking a
bookmaking course when he was in his
mid-teens.
“I used to go into my local betting shop
everyday to try my luck and I had a
strong sense that I could do the job
myself,” he explained.
“I had my own scaffolding business but I
decided to sell up and have a go at
bookmaking. My wife Annette and I
managed to secure our first premises at
Filton Avenue and get it up to scratch
and all these years later Winning Post
is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“I suppose it was a gamble at the time
and we relied a lot on our regular
customers but it’s a gamble that has
paid handsome dividends for us.”
There’s very much a family flavour about
Winning Post. Roy’s sons Lee and David,
both in their twenties, and son-in-law
Darren, run shops at Clifton, Filton
Avenue and Knowle respectively. For Roy,
51, it’s a case of these days keeping
close guard on the credit business.
“We’ve grown to become the biggest
independent bookmaker in Bristol and
football is a big part of what we do,
together with horse racing, it goes
without saying,” he said.
“As most people know we have a shop at
Ashton Gate Stadium, but if there’s any
prices to be laid on semi-professional
football then we’ll always match them.
We’re well renowned for taking big bets!
“You can bet with your credit card or
open a deposit account and you can
collect your money at your convenience
at any of our branches.”


