The top ten figures who have shaped the betting industry this decade

From online giants to key legislators, betting shop behemoths to responsible gambling crusaders, below are the people who, in the last ten years, have made the biggest impact in an industry that seems forever to be rapidly changing.

10. Ralph Topping

When Ralph Topping’s impending retirement as William Hill chief executive was announced in 2014, after a lifelong career with the company that began in 1973 as a Saturday boardmarker, chairman Gareth Davies said finding a like-for-like replacement was “impossible”. Five years and three CEOs later, it seems Davies was right.