BIOGRAPHY...

It takes a certain kind of man to achieve that. It started when Victor, who was then a credit bookmaker with a small but very select group of wealthy clients, spotted an opportunity to offer tax-free betting from outside the United Kingdom. His vision was to realise that to satisfy the needs of the customers who would come flooding to him, he would have to drive through and deliver the rapidly-emerging new technologies and platforms that are transforming the way we all do business. And the results are there for all to see today. The Victor Chandler name and his ever-growing group of companies have become synonymous with the revolution that is transforming the sports betting and gaming industry.

The Victor Chandler Group may be a different entity from the London-based business that started in the 1940s, but it's worth remembering that placing a bet is an act of trust. Worth remembering because, in the 25 years or more since Victor Chandler took over the family business, he has established a reputation for honour, integrity and for having virtually no upper limit on the bets that he will lay. It is these qualities that have gained him a reputation as the Gentleman Bookmaker.

Victor is the grandson of Victor Chandler senior, who founded the original company in 1946. The family built Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium while Victor's father expanded his bookmaking business into a chain of some 40 betting shops around the UK. His company was voted Bookmaker of the Year in 1969.

Since 1975, Victor has developed the business further, selling off the original shops and establishing the company as a global telephone and online operation with offices in London, Hong Kong and Gibraltar. He has, however, never lost sight of the values that first - and still - set the company apart: customer service, discretion and financial stability.
Victor Chandler International is now widely regarded as the world's leading independent bookmaking and gaming group of companies.
Victor, the man, is charismatic; those who have seen him taking bets on the racecourses at Ascot or Cheltenham remember the belted raincoat, the telephone constantly at the ear, the face sombre then suddenly smiling.
Not a man to court publicity, he nevertheless sent shock waves coursing throughout Britain's bookmaking industry when, in 1999, he moved the company's entire account operation from London to Gibraltar and almost overnight introduced tax-free betting for an ever-widening circle of international clients. Within weeks his competitors were watching thousands of their account holders transfer their business to Gibraltar.
Today, with the support of some of the industry's most experienced managers, Victor Chandler is working with governments, sporting groups and local officials to reshape the international bookmaking and gaming industry. As Chairman he has brought tax-free betting to the global marketplace as well as broadening the opportunities offered throughout Europe and developing the most sophisticated online gambling system in the world.
He says of gambling, "There are very few thrills in life. Backing your hunches is one of the last ones left." Bookmaking, too, is a matter of backing your hunches. Successful bookmaking adds honour, integrity, leadership and a pioneering spirit. In a competitive industry, Victor Chandler has proved that he knows how to put together a winning combination.