Jewish Pensioners' Controversial Pools Win

All good pals and jolly good company! A syndicate of Jewish pensioners from Southend celebrate their big win on the football pools.

In the days before the National Lottery, the (football) pools offered members of the public the rare opportunity to win huge amounts of money from a relatively small stake. In 1975, in Southend, a syndicate of Jewish pensioners were lucky enough to receive a win, celebrating with a sing-a-long and a stroll along the seafront. However, not every member of the Jewish community thought “the pools” was harmless fun, arguing according to Jewish law that gambling is prohibited.

Judy Finnigan reports for Anglia Television regional news.