Like a lot of companies in the industry, mergers and acquisitions helped to grow Stan James. At the height of the company's power, it had nearly 100 stores open, while the brand ran online. Stan James also ran betting shops on high streets up and down the UK. The telebetting services offered by Stan James were soon copied by a lot of other British betting brands, but the company's place in the annals of bookmaking history was secured forever. Teletext was groundbreaking technology in that era, giving sports fans a chance to keep up with all of the latest scores long before the advent of the internet changed the world. The company placed ads in popular publications such as the Life and the Post, but it was arguably the decision to start featuring live odds via Teletext that skyrocketed the firm's fortunes.

Until the 1990s, most sports betting in the UK focused mainly on horse racing betting and on football betting.īut the launch of the Sky Sports broadcasting company changed matters, bringing a whole host of other sports into living rooms across the country, with Stan James spotting an opportunity.

The name Stan James actually came from an amalgamation of names: the 'St' came from Steve, the 'an' from his wife Anne and James from the other partner in the business.

The first shop was a joint venture between Steve Fisher and James Holder. While many may assume that Stan James was founded by a man of that name, that is not actually the case. The history of Stan James can be traced back all the way to 1973 when its first betting shop opened in Wantage, a relatively small market town that can be found in Oxfordshire. Stan James: A Brief History of the Betting Brand So what happened to Stan James? Our full guide to the British betting brand has all the details. Having been around for a few decades, Stan James was known as a quality British bookmaker.īut in recent years, the Stan James brand has disappeared, leading to a lot of upset customers. Stan James used to be one of the most-loved British betting brands around back in the day.

Stan james betting shops in london