Bookmaking has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father had a career in racehorse management so I was pushed around racecourses in a pram. He was Managing Director of Goodwood racecourse for 28 years - a bit of an industry dinosaur, you could say.
After university, I was offered a place on the graduate scheme at Ladbrokes. The six-month scheme allowed me to get a rounded view of the industry, spending two months in each channel of the business; telephone, internet and the shops. It was being thrown onto the front line working in the London shops that I enjoyed, and meeting the betting shop managers who had astonishing stories to tell about their relationships with clients. What I loved most was the profound expertise found in bookmaking, and the romance of the relationships that people used to have with their bookmaker.
Towards the end of my three-and-a-half years at Ladbrokes it felt like the industry was pivoting towards different products. Being a boring traditionalist, I wanted to keep the romance in storytelling. I wanted to re-imagine the principles of relationships and customer service, and cherish the honour and bravery that went along with being prepared to part with your cash - be it five quid or 50.
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It’s all very well having an idea but you need someone behind you to back it. A couple of years previously I’d met Ben Goldsmith and over that time we’d become good friends. Ben asked me to work on a proper business plan - and the rest is history. Ben is one of those great people in life who has the most infectious energy. Together with James Osborne, we set about starting up what became Fitzdares. We opened our first office in central London in February 2006, taking our first bets just before the Cheltenham Festival that year. Starting from a zero client base, initially we were just writing to friends inviting them to join, and to date we have around 5,000 members.
As a member of Fitzdares you are part of a select club. We pride ourselves on our impeccable service, and a personal account manager is always just a call or email away. To place a bet you call or text a number reserved for your exclusive use. There are no account numbers or memorable words to remember - we are knowledgeable brokers who will know who you are when you call. We also curate a rewarding selection of benefits and opportunities for members, offering preferential access to a wealth of luxury brands, from exclusive test drives with Jack Barclay Bentley to room upgrades at Rocco Forte Hotels.
As I see it, we are in the entertainment industry as much as we are in the bookmaking industry. My favourite quote from author Simon Sinek is, "It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it". So what we do is bookmaking, but why we do it is because we care passionately about enriching people’s enjoyment of what should be a very healthy pastime. That's where we get our kicks - it’s why we get out of bed every day.
BALTHAZAR FABRICIUS founded bookmaker Fitzdares with Ben Goldsmith in 2006. With personal customer service, the members-only organisation offers market-leading prices as well as exclusive benefits from leading luxury brands; fitzdares.com
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