Sutton Coldfield, England ? You know the Ryder Cup. You know that the late Samuel A. Ryder was a seed merchant, that his trophy, purchased originally for 250 pounds, stands 17 inches tall.

You know that Walter Hagan captained the first five United States teams, that Nick Faldo competed in 11 Ryder Cups and won 23 matches, both records.

But you do not know Victor Chandler. You can’t picture him. You can’t buy his autograph on the Internet.

Victor Chandler is the Ryder Cup’s official bookmaker.

Yes, welcome to professional sports in Britain, where gambling is not only tolerated, but also encouraged.

It’s a mite disconcerting for we Yanks. Sure, we bet sports legally in Vegas, illicitly at the local watering hole. But imagine a sportsbook on the grounds of an NFL stadium (gambling at FedEx Field on the exact time Steve Spurrier hurls his visor) or PGA Tour event (Curtis Strange is 9-to-5 to three-jack the 8th green at the Michelob Championship). That’s what they have here at The Belfry, site of this week’s Ryder Cup matches.

At first blush, the Ryder Cup tent village is standard fare: an official timekeeper (Rolex) and bank (Royal Bank of Scotland); a merchandise pavilion (Ryder Cup neckties are ugly), food court (champagne and oysters, or Harry Ramsden’s “world famous” fish and chips) and bar (Guinness and Budweiser on tap, the former selling briskly at 11 a.m.).

Then, down on the left, you see the huge sign: Official Betting Unit.

Closer inspection reveals that Victor Chandler is, indeed, the official bookmaker of the European Tour and Ryder Cup has been for four years. The firm, founded by Chandler’s grandfather, sets up shop at several Tour events each year, enticing gamblers with every service imaginable.

Sure, fans flock to The Belfry to watch Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia play golf. But they can bet the ponies, greyhounds and soccer (what, no cricket?!) inside Chandler’s wired-for-sound tent. They can watch each on the tent’s 18 televisions or research bets on the six computers.

Tuesday’s major attractions: daytime horse races from Newmarket (French Gigolo breaks from the inside post in the first race) and an evening Champions League soccer match between Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen and England’s Manchester United.

Manchester United, which lost to Leverkusen in last year’s European Cup semifinals, is a 6-5 favorite. But the betting isn’t limited to picking a winner. You can wager on the final score (a 3-2 result pays 28-to-1) or the first goal-scorer (David Beckham pays 10-to-1).

Same goes for golf. The United States is 8-to-13 to retain the Ryder Cup, Europe 7-to-4 to reclaim. The odds of a 14-all draw are 10-to-1.

Side bets include the outcome of each match, top points scorers, best rookies, how many balls in the water at 18th, how many weather delays, and the number of times European captain Sam Torrance cries.

“About 70 percent of our business usually comes from horse racing,” a young man behind the counter says. “But we’ll do plenty on the Ryder Cup this weekend.”

Even with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday?

“Oh, yes,” he assures. “We can set up your account right now all perfectly legal.”

As it should be in the States.