A BOOKIE'S runner turned history professor is to research the history of gambling.

Professor Keith Laybourn, of Huddersfield University, has been awarded £34,642 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to pay for the project on this `neglected area' of social history.

He hopes his work will lead to a book, with a working title of Phantom Fortunes: Working Class Gambling c.1906 to 1960.

Prof Laybourn, from Monk Bretton, Barnsley, was a bookie's runner between the ages of 12 and 14.

"A bookie's runner picked up the bets and paid them. It was just pocket money for me on a Saturday," he said.

His run included 40 houses - many belonging to local police officers.

"At the policemen's houses we went to, they didn't seem to object too much even though theoretically it was an illegal activity," he said.

Now he wants to look at the topic in greater depth.

"Gambling is a neglected area of social history. As far as I am aware there has been little written or published on the subject.

"It's my contention that this is largely a class issue.

"After 1906 off-course gambling became illegal. You could bet at a race course or through a bank account, if you had one, but working class people at that time didn't have bank accounts.

"Illegal on-street gambling was endemic among the working classes but it generally involved small sums. The big money lay in on-course gambling and in private, exclusive clubs."

He continued: "With the emergence of football pools followed by greyhound racing in the 1920s, serious money could be made, particularly by the people running these operations.

"Littlewoods is the name most associated with football pools but at one time there were more than 100 companies involved.

"Greyhound racing proved popular, particularly in the 1950s, and became big business.

He added: "One Labour MP noted that even King Solomon's Mines were not so profitable as greyhound racing!"

He believes that a high proportion of political agents across all major parties were funded from gaming activities that were technically illegal at the time.

And he thinks much of the income of the Conservative and Labour Parties came from illegal gaming activity - a situation that also applied to many church fetes.

He said in Huddersfield many Catholic priests were arrested and fined for being involved with bingo.

Prof Laybourn added: "My research will examine middle class attitudes towards working class gambling as well as the practices themselves, the emergence of football pools, the impact of greyhound racing and the way gaming laws were relaxed once political parties became embroiled."

The book should be out by September next year.