Back in the 70s - when I built my first computer - The Compukit UK 101 - I took a BASIC program for running a TOTE and rewrote it to function more efficiently and to display 'real' odds - the ones that bookmakers use, not mathematicians! For Round Table, the Scouts, other groups and - later - Rotary, I used the program at many fund-raising Race Nights. If you are unaware of these, they are events where films of horse races are shown - after people have bought tickets (i.e. 'bet') on the one they think might be the winner. At the end of the race, the total amount 'wagered' (less a percentage for the fund being supported) is divided amongst the holders of tickets for the winning horse. They can be fun evenings, and the TOTE program adds to the atmosphere - and promotes more 'betting!'
In the early days, the computer display was a television - tuned to a particular channel. For the Race Nights, more than one screen was needed to let everyone see the TOTE, so TVs were borrowed, and fed via aerial cables from an amplifier/splitter. Apart from the aerial cables, the TVs needed mains as well, so those attending had to be careful not to trip over the mass of wires on the floor! What would today's 'elf 'n safety society make of that? Besides actually running the computer, I also had to keep all the TVs correctly tuned, and keep adjusting their vertical holds to keep the pictures stable - these evening could be quite stressful, especially if the power went off and all the data was lost! Those TVs were also damn heavy, so getting them into the event hall, and out again afterwards, was exhausting!