For those of us brought up ensuring we had placed our evening football bets before the manager of the local William Hill had settled the last at Kempton, the fast-moving, all-action world of in-running betting has come as quite an eye-opener. Just ten years ago, the opportunities to get a bet on anything at all once the action had begun were few and far between.

But now it's all the rage. It took the real-time mentality of spread betting firms used to offering prices on financial markets to grasp the huge possibilities of in-running betting. 'In the City, speculating on propositions or events as they are happening is a way of life,' said Sporting Index's Wally Pyrah.