SAZKA betting slip, betting week 17, 1950s

Product detailed description

Condition: signs of age

Dimensions: 20.6 cm × 10.2 cm

Original betting slip issued by SAZKA, Prague, for betting week 17, printed in the 1950s. The slip lists 14 matches – football 1st and 2nd league, divisional games and one handball match. Teams include Baník Ostrava, Rudá hvězda Bratislava, Tatran Prešov, Dukla Pardubice and Jiskra Gottwaldov. Parts A and B are filled in by hand with 1, X and 2 tips in two columns, total stake 2 Kčs. Purple stamp 1108/01 and number 3303. Slip price 10 hellers. A period record of early sports betting in Czechoslovakia; the paper shows fold marks.

The reverse carries an advertisement by the Sports and Tourist Publishing House (STN) for the Tělovýchovný pracovník magazine, an offer of prize book vouchers from the national enterprise Kniha with a Pobeda car as the main prize, and a form for claiming winnings. The print code KNT 01 – G – 3723-57 points to printing in 1957.

Key facts

• Issuer: SAZKA, enterprise for organising bets on the results of sports matches, Prague
• Period: 1950s, 1957 according to the print code
• Print code: KNT 01 – G – 3723-57
• Reverse: STN advertisement for the Tělovýchovný pracovník magazine, prize book vouchers from Kniha, winnings claim form
• Betting week: 17
• Matches: 14 (football 1st league, 2nd league, divisions A, B, C; men's handball)
• Filled in: by hand, 2 columns, parts A and B
• Stake: 2 Kčs
• Slip price: 10 hellers
• Markings: stamp 1108/01, number 3303
• Condition: signs of age, fold marks, yellowed paper

Expert note – frequently asked questions

Why does the slip have two parts, A and B?
The bettor filled in both parts the same way. One was kept as a receipt and the other stayed at the betting office, which is why the parts are separated by a wavy line and carry the same stamp and number.

What do the tips 1, X and 2 mean?
1 is a home win, X a draw and 2 an away win. Columns 1 to 10 allowed several tip combinations on one slip.

Why are there defunct club names on the slip?
In the 1950s clubs were named after voluntary sports organisations (Baník, Dukla, Jiskra, Spartak, Rudá hvězda, Tatran). The slip is therefore also a record of the period naming of Czechoslovak sport.