Far from the scene where he had made his reputation and both won and lost fortunes, Terry Rogers, the most charismatic and innovative of Irish bookmakers, died in Gran Canaria on November 7th. A native of Dun Laoghaire he was born into a bookmaking family. He was only 18 years old when he started at the Chapelizod Greyhound Stadium, and although he soon discovered that it was just as easy for a neophyte to lose as to win, he was a fast learner. He soon graduated to horse racing, where for almost 40 years he was one of the leading layers in the Irish ring.
Anyone who watched him on his pitch would have found it hard to believe that away from the racecourse, he could be very shy, but once he stood up, the actor in him came to the fore and, unlike some members of the theatrical profession, he never dried up.
In what used to be a highly conservative business he had great imagination, and was the first here to appreciate the betting opportunity afforded by the arrival of the photo-finish camera. In particular, the notorious angle at the Phoenix Park held no terrors for him. Once he had formed a clear-cut opinion he was willing to take any price, no matter how short the odds, and in these instances he was always proved right by the outcome.
When betting shops were licenced in England his expertise was in demand, and with Bill Cutler, trading under the name of Cutler-Prescott, he built up a chain of more than 50 shops in the Midlands. This was bought over by Ladbrokes in the early 1970s. Today, sports betting is taking an ever bigger share of the market, but Terry Rogers was one of the pioneers with a willingness to call the odds on any event where he thought there was a genuine gamble.
It is typical of his range of interests that he served a stint as chairman of the Irish Boxing Board of Control, and was the founder of the Eccentric Club which staged the Irish Poker Championships, the winner of which qualified for a free entry to the World Championships held in Las Vegas. Ill-health forced him into retirement from the racecourse in 1988 but he still kept close to the action and in recent years earned a good income from betting on American Football.
His wife Marie (nee Broderick) predeceased him in 1977. He is survived by his son Bill, daughter Lisa, and brother, Jack.
Terry Rogers: born 1928; died November, 1999