"As a valued Telbet customer, we are writing to inform you that as of February 15th 2011 the minimum bet we will accept with our Telbet service will be rising to £50."
Receiving that email did indeed make me feel like a valued customer!
I'm sure this new measure will be appreciated by the traditional bookies, who are happy to accept phone bets for less than £50.
Perhaps Betfair introduced it with the austere times in mind, to prevent people who can't afford to lose £50 from wasting any of their money on a punt. If so, I am touched by their 'principle before profits' approach. Betting as it should be - yes, indeed!
Jeff