The phrase "bucket shops" refers to dishonest businesses that used to sell fake or non-existent goods or services. It can also describe places where unregulated and risky financial transactions were done. Full definition
Under Reynolds's steady stewardship, Canaccord — which posted $ 478 million in revenue for its fiscal 2009 period — is nothing like what insiders fondly call «the Vancouver bucket shop of yesteryear.» (canadianbusiness.com)
And if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't have accepted a vice president position at a «sleazy bucket shop» after business school. (finance.yahoo.com)
Instead, it has everything to do with the massive quantities of equivalent metal changing hands by two different groups of speculators in an orgy of private bucket shop trading that is dictating silver prices to the rest of the world. (goldsilverworlds.com)