Jack Anderson: Why the odds on an Irish gambling crisis are growing

Gamblification is a gathering sporting storm on both sides of the Atlantic.

STACK IT UP: Betting slips at a bookies stall at the Cheltenham Racing Festival. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

At the launch of the revived 'The Epic Origins of Hurling' by alumni of St Joseph’s Fairview, Brendan McGrath, a former pupil of the original author Brother Ó Caithnia, noted that in the 17th and 18th centuries, hurling in Ireland was the plaything of landlords. McGrath highlighted that the landed gentry would regularly wager 300 guineas on a game (roughly €80,000 today).

Similarly, the origins of sports as diverse as boxing, baseball, cricket and, of course, horse racing were all predicated on the punt.