Joe Jennings Bookmakers was established in Harlow, Essex in 1961, when off-course betting was made legal by the British Government. Over the decades we’ve grown to become one of the leading independent bookmakers in the United Kingdom — and we remain a privately owned, family business, now in its third generation.
Our aim is simple: to provide a professional, competitive and genuinely personal betting service to every one of our customers. We cover all major worldwide sporting events, specialising in UK and Irish horse racing, football, and both the US and European PGA Golf Tours, alongside a vast range of other sports. Our Telebet operation is built around a more personal touch — speak to a real trader by phone or message us on Telegram — and all accounts are funded by instant debit card betting on our Freephone number.
Our History
Our story runs alongside the story of British bookmaking itself.
1961 — The Beginning
As the UK government introduced the Betting and Gaming Act, it became legal to operate a betting shop away from a racecourse from 1st May 1961. Newly licensed premises began opening at a rate of over 100 a week — more than 10,000 new shops within six months. Joe Jennings became one of the very first bookmakers in Harlow, opening its first betting shop that year.
The 1970s — Betting by Telephone
Recognising an opportunity to offer betting beyond the bricks-and-mortar shop, Joe Jennings introduced a telephone betting facility for customers new and old. The new tele-betting service let punters call up, ask for the latest odds on any number of popular sports, and place their wager directly with a Joe Jennings operator on the other end of the line. It proved an instant success.
2012 — Text Betting
As technology developed, so did our ambitions. We launched a text betting service in 2012, letting punters place a bet simply by texting their selection — no phone call required.
WhatsApp & Telegram — Betting On The Go
Building on the success of our SMS service, we took on-the-go betting to the next level with a WhatsApp betting facility, integrating with the world’s most popular messaging app so punters could bet quickly and securely wherever they had a connection. Following a change to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, we sought an even more secure service for our customers, and in 2021 introduced Telegram — a secure, reliable and free messaging app that remains one of the simplest and quickest ways to interact with our traders today.
Today
Over recent years we’ve invested in the latest automated systems and fully updated our Telebet centre, giving our customers the highest levels of service and security. Through it all we’ve stayed proudly independent and family-run — combining modern technology with the traditional values of personal, trustworthy bookmaking.
Meet The Team
Chris Scott
Senior Director (Tottenham)
Chris has been a leading light in the Jennings empire for over 20 years now. His love of the betting ring being nurtured since his early days at Walthamstow Dogs. He moved swiftly through the ranks to establish himself as the Senior Director of Joe Jennings Tele-bet. However, his drive and determination to succeed is surpassed by his love of fine wine and appetizing gastronomy.
Steve Preece
Account Manager (Tottenham)
Steve joined in 2005 as a young, starry eyed employee looking to impress. He has seen many changes over the years but has managed to keep the “Glass half full” outlook that he is famed for. With Steve there is always a bright side. A problem is not a problem but a challenge and with all challenges comes opportunity. That is just one of the many nonsensical phrases that Steve is also famed for.
Kevin Payne
Senior Trader (Arsenal)
Kevin has now completed 13 years of service to Joe Jennings, in different guises. He is now a respected senior trader forming part of the decision-making team for the business. They say, sometimes, that your name represents your character and in Kevin’s case this is undoubtably true.
Jago Page
Senior Trader (Arsenal)
Where do we start with Jago? Well, his name, as unusual as it is, could easily be changed to Yoyo due to the number of times he has left and come back. However, Jago’s name is firmly rooted in the history of Jennings. He is synonymous with not only hard work and endeavour but numerous responses of confusion when asked his name by clients.
Christine Rutherford
Financial Controller (Swansea City)
A proud Welsh woman, Christine has been controlling the purse strings at Joe Jennings for as long as we can remember. She has an infectious laugh that will brighten up even the dullest of days and keeps all her boys in check with regards to the expense account!
Kevin Mulligan
Trader (Liverpool)
An important member of the Tele-bet team, “Mully” brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him. He has lived and breathed this industry for over 30 years and yet still he has the demeanour of a man just starting out. After all that time his passion doesn’t lay in horses or football though. He would prefer to pick the winner of Strictly, X Factor or I’m a Celeb!
Ben Edwards
Trader (Arsenal)
Benny was a valued member of the Tele-bet team way back when before deciding to further his career as a shop manager. He came back to us, tail between his legs, January 2020. He is known for his impeccable timekeeping, his attention to detail and an uncanny ability to hear a chocolate wrapper open from 30 feet away.
Les Gillham
Trader (West Ham)
Les or Lesapedia as he is known, is a man of many talents and has an ability to pick up the phone before it even rings. He, like Mully, brings a wealth of knowledge but, unlike Mully, his knowledge of horses is second to none. However, as an arm chair West Ham fan, Les is convinced they have a chance to win the league. The way things are going this season we would agree with him…….. The Championship.
Lauren Fydanakis
Compliance (Barcelona)
Lauren Fydin Fyden Fydon Fydanakis has come in and helped us to look at everything we do, from best practise to compliance, there is nothing Lauren hasn’t made stronger. She has become so integral to our business in such a short space of time that we would be lost without her wealth of knowledge and input. Lauren has a long and rich history in the industry and we feel incredibly lucky that she sees her future with us. The only downside is, when writing emails, even Lauren signs off as “Lauren F” as we all, clearly, have trouble with her surname!
