The totalisator board at Shawfield Park, 1955.
The Tote was established by the Government in 1928 to provide on-course betting to racegoers in Britain. The total amount that was bet on a race (minus permitted deductions for commission) was divided between those who had placed money on the winning horse or dog. All the tote's profits were put to "purposes conducive to the improvement of breeds of horses or the sport of horseracing".
The totalisator board listed the odds for each race and calculated the payouts. In 1954, £760,388 was staked on the tote at Shawfield. There was a general belief in Glasgow at the time that the popularity of illegal betting shops was attracting punters away from dog tracks and harming the tote's takings.
In 1955 Partick Camera Club set out to create a photographic survey of Glasgow. As the project progressed, other camera clubs joined and each was allocated a district of the city to photograph. Glasgow Museums exhibited the photographs at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and at the People's Place, and in 1956 the exhibition was shown at the Palace of Art in Bellahouston Park. The photographs are now part of Glasgow Museums' collections.
Reference: 1005.97.275 / OG.1955.121.[228]
Reproduced with the permission of Partick Camera Club
Keywords:
dog racing, dog tracks, gambling, Glasgow Photographic Survey 1955, greyhound racing, Shawfield Greyhound Stadium, Shawfield Park, Shawfield Stadium, sport, stadia, stadiums, totalisator boards, tote
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