Freddie Williams

Who was Freddie Williams?

Freddie "Fearless" Sidney Williams was a Scottish businessman and bookmaker. Born in the Ayrshire mining village of Cumnock, he was spared a career as a miner due to ill health at the age of 15 and went on to work for local soft drinks company Currys. Following a successful management buyout, and subsequent sale, Williams became a millionaire.

It was at Currys that he first took to gambling. For years he was a boomaker's-runner, before taking up his first bookmaking pitch at Auchinleck Greyhound Track.

In 1974 Freddie bought his first horseracing bookmaking pitch at Ayr Racecourse. He subsequently went on purchase pitches, including Irvine Racecourse, Hamilton Park Racecourse, Musselburgh Racecourse, Perth Racecourse and Cheltenham Racecourse. He also owned a pitch at Shawfield dogs track in Glasgow. At the time of his death, Freddie owned a total of 11

As business grew, Freddie Williams Bookmakers grew to a chain of 7 bookmaking shops. As of June 2008, this had been slimmed down to two, one in either of his hometowns, Cumnock and Auchinleck.