PLAYING THE POOLS
Littlewoods Football Pools became a British institution. The early 1900s was challenging for poorer families, and for many, winning the pools was the class life. From big wins to small, in the decades following its launch in 1923, Littlewoods changed the lives of countless people, creating over 100 millionaires in the process.
From 1925, weekly gross receipts grew, to the extent that in 1926 they became the target of anti-betting organisations and the police, for at the time betting was illegal. The police prosecuted the company under the condition it was illegal to even print the coupons! In court, John was convicted but instantly appealed, his appeal was upheld and fortunately he and Cecil escaped imprisonment. An unforeseen by-product of this tumultuous time was the national publicity the company received. Soon enough most people had heard of the Littlewoods Football Pools and wanted to try their luck at winning a fortune overnight.
Eventually, match season would become concomitant with completing coupons, they became a ritual and entrenched football into working-class culture. Filling in a coupon, betting on which football matches would result in a draw, became a weekly event for most families. Even the government would later recognise the role of the Pools in raising morale by commissioning Unity Pools, an alliance between top pools promoters formed during the Second World War. Up to 14 million people were found every week tentatively waiting for those Saturday tea-time scores.
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When the Pools became Cecil’s responsibility in 1932, he reviewed and revitalised the business, introducing the world-renowned 'Littlewoods Treble Chance' Pool in 1946, as well as raising the maximum dividend to create bigger payouts.
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​​The biggest ever win on the Littlewoods Football Pools was £2,924,622.60. This large sum was shared by a syndicate from the Yew Tree Pub, Manchester, in 1994. ​​
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Not all winners chose to reveal their identity for fear that they would be hounded by people asking for financial support. Instead, they opted to wear masks hiding their features in promotional photos.
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The Pools went from strength to strength, until well into the nineties when The National Lottery surpassed their success.
