Evening Standard (London): Bet your life on it!

THINK of gambling and there is a good chance you're envisaging a bet on the horses. But there is far more to it than that these days. People will bet on literally anything - elections, snow on Christmas Day, finding alien life-forms or stumbling on Elvis in the supermarket.

"It's interesting what we class as gambling and what we don't," says sports commentator Clare Balding, who herself has the odd flutter on the Grand National or at Royal Ascot. "We don't think of the Lottery and bingo as gambling, but they are."

There is no question that the UK's betting industry is growing.

According to a poll conducted by ICM last month, 67 per cent of us played the Lottery in the past year and 17 per cent bet on the horses. Earlier this month, bookmakers William Hill announced a 27 per cent rise in firsthalf profits to 85 million as betting fever really took off.

Whether it's a Lottery scratchcard, a grand on red at the roulette table or 10 on the favourite to win Pop Idol, everyone likes a flutter, and even celebrities are not immune. Casino owners in Las Vegas estimate that Tiger Woods, the golden boy of golf, has splurged $50 million at their blackjack tables since he turned pro, and both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have made headlines in the past with their high-rolling antics - and equally generous handouts to casino staff. But then Affleck can probably afford to give away the odd $100,000 as a tip.

Channel 4 racing's John McCririck credits the UK boom in part to the Government, and its pre-emptive strike to stop punters going to international online bookmakers to avoid UK duty. "Gordon Brown abolished betting tax as the business was going overseas," he says. "Now turnover is up 50 per cent and the industry has flourished."

Later this year a new Gambling Bill goes before the parliamentary joint committee which, if approved, will further relax our gaming laws, opening the way for more casinos and extended opening hours for high street bookies. Like Las Vegas, casinos will be allowed to stay open 24 hours a day, membership requirements will be scrapped and down-atheel resorts such as Blackpool are hoping to transform themselves into gambling meccas.

"Bookmakers are crying out loud for workers and the new regulations will mean double shifts and overtime," says McCririck, the sideburned extrovert whose own betting career started with a job marking up sports results on an old-tech chalkboard in a betting shop.

"It's an excellent place for students to earn some extra money and you don't have to be maths-minded.

There is a real opportunity for ethnic minorities to get into betting shops, too, for people with any interest in the industry.

"Today, they're very different to the old spit and sawdust places, rife with drug-dealing. In those days, people placed bets on the back of cigarette packets, but it's much more slick now - you can even get coffee and tea."

Another change that McCririck has witnessed is the dwindling of the bookies at the racetrack, madly signalling the odds with "ticktack" signlangua g e. " That ' s a dying profession," he says. "And there are very few of them now.

It's all done on the internet, on mobile phones or through the racecourse bookmaker these days."

McCririck won't be drawn on his biggest personal win: "That's a stupid question. It depends how much you have at the time: if you're down to your last tenner then a 5 win means the world." However, his reticence vanishes when it comes to his enthusiasm for the industry itself.

"I love racing and betting," he says.

"The best way into betting is by working in a shop. You don't have to be interested in racing, but you have to be sharp-witted. There's a team spirit and you can move upwards."

However, the world of the betting shop is partly closed to women.

"Unlike places such as the US, Japan and Australia where it's part of everyday life, here gambling is still seen as a slightly dirty, closed world," says Balding who, having grown up with racing, has never personally encountered any problems in the male-dominated milieu.

"Managers have gone to great lengths to open up betting shops and make them look less seedy, but there is still a perception that women don't gamble.

There's a barrier for some women, who worry about what to do when they go in there and don't want to display ignorance."

Would you take a chance on these jobs?

ODDS COMPILER Salary: Juniors start at 25,000, going up to approx 40,000 (plus generous bonus and benefits package).

Qualifications: Betting shop managers can work their way up to odds compiler, with training largely in-house. Quick mental arithmetic and ability to manipulate fractions is more important than an A-level or degree in maths; a thorough knowledge of sport - and the form of each dog and horse - is essential.

Contact: William Hill recruitment www.jobs.willhill.com; Ladbrokes www.ladbrokes.com.

BETTING SHOP MANAGER Salary: From 13,000 up to 21,000 in large betting shops (more for area managers).

Qualifications: Managerial/retail experience is useful, plus GCSE maths.

The major betting chains run fast-track management schemes and Ladbrokes has a graduate recruitment package.

Deputy managers undergo a six-month course to learn the mechanics of the business.

Contact: William Hill www.jobs.willhill.com; Ladbrokes www.ladbrokes.com.

Salary: From 10,000 to 20,000-plus, depending on CROUPIER skill and experience.

Qualifications: Once you have a Gaming Board certificate of approval (dependent on rigorous background checks), many casinos provide in-house training. Key attributes are numeracy, understanding of the games, smart appearance and personable manner.

Contact: For a list of casino groups and careers information, visit www.

britishcasinoassociation.

org.uk.

BINGO CALLER Salary: Pay is from 14,000, up to approx 20,000. Some callers earn extra on local radio or doing cabaret.

Qualifications: A grasp of the game, clear voice and a good line in patter. Training is usually on the job: the big bingo companies run in-house courses and Gala runs the only caller school in the UK.

Contact: The two main companies are Mecca, www.meccabingo.com, and Gala, www.galagroup.co.uk.