Yankee

[Hammond Egg]

Why, in betting, is a yankee so called?

[Clanad]

This from a betting site:

"In the United Kingdom bookmakers offer exotic wagers on horses at different tracks. Probably the Yankee occurs most commonly: in this the bettor tries to pick the winner of four races. This bet also includes subsidiary wagers on smaller combinations of the chosen horses; for example, if only two of the four horses win, the bettor still collects for their double. A Trixie requires trying to pick three winners, and a Canadian or Super Yankee trying to pick five; these also include subsidiary bets. The term nap identifies the best bet of the day."

[maxi29]

That doesn't answer the question though. I'd like to know as well as it's intrigued me for some time too. I'd also like to know why is a patent called a patent?

[Quizmonster]

There is no record of the word 'yankee' in this sense before the early 1960s. As betting-shops were made legal in the UK in 1960, I suspect it - and many other bets and bet-names were created by the big bookies at that time to attract punters in.
At a guess, America was always associated with 'big' things at that time, so an eleven-bets-in-one wager was probably seen as typically American...ie Yankee.

[JamesEverton]

Frequently the bet types are named after the number of lines. A Heinz is so called because there are 57 lines. I can't find anything that gives the origin of Yankee, Canadian or Patent.

[Hammond Egg]

Thanks gents.

A Canadian is called a Canadian because it covers one more event than a Yankee, and Canada is above the USA on the map.

[JudgeJ]

And they all have one thing in common, despite their exciting names. In every case more than 50% of the bets are lost as soon as one of the selections fails to wiin!