[OT] Punters? Re: After Con Report - ECC VII

> Punters at our events are far more shopping oriented(...)

Could you explain this term? I was familiar with the paramutual players, and
assumed it's use for folks that like small, flat bottom boats, but I'm a
little unclear here. Of course, the less said about that game laughingly
referred to as 'American Football', the better.

Thanks!

The_Beast

> Punters

Means "customers", I think it originally reffered to gamblers who placed bets.

Cheers,

> Doug Evans wrote:

"Punter" means player or customer. "Taking a punt" means gambling on
something, often a horse.

There is casino card game called "Punto Banco" meaning "Player
(or) Banker" in some Euro-tongue, so I guess the slang term comes
from that language.

I've just looked it up on http://www.yourdictionary.com/ - none of the
four results it gave matched the usage I intended! A 'punter' usually refers
to someone who gambles (Australia's cricket captain is known is 'Punter'
Ponting because of his love of gambling in his younger days) but its use seems
to have spread to mean anyone who purchases or is a consumer. It's regularly
bandied about at shows (sorry, 'conventions')
to mean the general public (AKA 'The Great Unwashed' ;-) ).

> Doug Evans wrote:

> Punters at our events are far more shopping oriented(...)

Thanks to both David, Matt, and Tony. Might be similar to shopping as
'trolling', though.

Yes, I suppose it could be stretched to any 'player'. David, you're aware that
paramutual is race betting, though it can include cards, I now see.

Before I posted, I'd checked an online dictionary, wiki, and I was surprised
to find it also seems to include that special player that's a frequenter of
houses of ill repute.

'Walk proudly, man!'

The_Beast

Oh, I get it!

Gamblers, 'tricks'/'johns', and gamers: folks who enjoy paying for sin!

The_Beast