While the wagers of many a punter often go up in flames, a fire yesterday on the island of Gibraltar kept many of those punters from placing bets with online bookmakers.
Betting firms that included Stan James, Betfred, Ladbrokes, Betfair and William Hill were affected by a mid-day blaze that knocked out power. The fire was attributed to an explosion at a power station, causing an untold number of missed wagers, the Express reported.
There will be those who will claim they would have backed a winner but there will be others who have been saved from backing a loser," a William Hill spokesman told AFP.
A back-up generator allowed BetVictor to continue with business as usual while many of their competitors lost operations. However, indications are that power has by and large been restored and that the downed sites are once again up and running.
Gibraltar is the choice of many online bookmaking operations due to favorable tax rates. The British overseas territory is home to roughly 30,000 residents.
