Susan Boyle applies for a £6 p/h minimum wage position at Ladbrokes, and the parents of the Fixed Betting Odds Terminals (FOBTs) are revealed.
It seems you can take the girl out of West Lothian, but you can’t take the West Lothian out of the girl, as the Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) superstar Susan Boyle has applied for e £6 p/h cashier’s job at her local Ladbrokes store.
The 52-year old singer, exploded into the minds of the world, after her breathtaking performances in Britain’s Got Talent back in 2009, where she finished second to the UK dance act Diversity.
Since then ‘Subo’ has been a worldwide sensation, and is believed to be worth an estimated £20m. She applied for the minimum wage job at her local branch in Blackburn, West Lothian, after seeing the ad in the bookmaker’s window.
Deputy Manager David Cross, who spoke to the singer about the application, later told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Susan Boyle walked into the shop and inquired about the job advertised in our window. We were all in shock.’
Proving there is no room for favoritism in Lads stores, Subo was informed that she would have to apply for the position online.
A resident told The Sun on Sunday, ‘She explained she was really keen on working there and she lives nearby. Obviously she doesn’t need the money so I think she saw it as a way of getting her out of her house and taking her mind off things.’
It’s the second time Subo has applied for a Ladbrokes position and she is hoping her success as a singer will help her land the role this time around.
Perhaps, Ladbrokes are concerned about Subo’s ability to concentrate on the job after the former Strictly Come Dancing star, Alesah Dixon, was once quoted as saying, “I worked in Ladbrokes but I spent most of the day daydreaming about my music career.’
Now just imagine what that would do to productivity.
The Birth of the FOBT
If Subo is successful in her application then her bonus payments could be based on the success, or failure, of the controversial Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs).
The Mirror Online have tracked down the parents of the controversial FOBTs and they are ex bookmaker Steve Frater and Walter Grubmuller.
Frater told BOS magazine that the concept behind the FOBTs started out as an idea of ‘taking regulations and pushing the boundaries to the limit.’
That’s one bucket list item he can strike off the list then.
The pair set up shop in Grubmuller’s kitchen circa 1998 where they started work on the machines. At first Frater said the, ‘Arcade, casino and bingo groups claimed it was illegal,’ but after the pair signed a deal with Coral, ‘everyone wanted them’ he said.
The pair eventually sold their company Global Draw to the U.S. Based Scientific Games Corporation for £104m in 2006. As part of the deal Frater joined (SGC) as a company director whilst it’s believed Grubmuller walked away from the business and into a healthy retirement.
