Helen Vernet

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Helen Vernet was a British professional gambler and one of the first female bookmakers involved in horseracing during the interwar years. In 1918, she began taking small bets from female acquaintances who frequented local racetracks as major bookmakers were reluctant to take such small wagers. However, as her clientele increased, professional bookmakers objected to her illegal business practices and petitioned racetrack officials to forced her to leave.

She was soon recruited by bookmaker Arthur Bendir, who had been running the Ladbrokes bookmaking firm since 1902, and brought her on as the first licensed female bookkeeper involved British racecourses. A partner in the firm by 1928, she was well connected and had a high social standing in London's upper class. However, she had an expensive lifestyle despite earning an estimated £20,000 a year and died in poverty.

[edit] Further reading

• Huggins, Mike. Horseracing and the British, 1919-39. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7190-6529-1
• Ramsden, Caroline. Ladies in Racing: Sixteenth Century to the Present Day. London: Stanley Paul, 1973. ISBN 0091169909
• Vamplew, Wray and Joyce Kay. Encyclopedia of British Horseracing. London: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-714-65356-X