Ways of Living.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 357, 12 March 1903, Page 2

Ways of Living.

BETITNG IN LONDON. 3ff{lKoW the street betting man is very tjJMlp common about such neighbourhoodaas Dcury Lane and Covont Garden, and the police are not without their knowledge of the fact. More than one of the betting men who meet the requirements of small tradesmen, costers, and the like have been heavily fined by the magistrates at various times, only to resume their occupation at once. There is a certain order in the business. The backer goes to the bookmaker with his bet jotted on a scrap of paper wrapped round the money he is risking. Most of these sums are small, and few reach the extent of half a sovereign. ' The ' bookie' will glance at the paper, nod to his ' customer,' and slip the coins into his pocket. Just before a big race there is a rush to get money on the event, and tho bookmaker is kept busy. Business stops dead when the time for the race is reached, and some of the bettors wait for the runner to come from the nearest club with the result as it comes over the tape. But rcost of those who win wait till later before claiming their winnings, and next day will probably sea M? Bookie paying out. He is a privileged person, about whose sayings and doings there is much talk in the bar-parlour he frequents of an evening when the rush of the day is over. A Bbttiko Club. What constitutes a betting club is the tape machine. It is the centre of interest, and its perpetual ticking makes the place feel homelike both to the newspaper man and the stockbroker, I had the privilege of visiting a club—where is not of the slightest consequence—and was not alarmingly impressed by the desperate wickedness of the scene. There was, indeed, soma dulness and dinginess and a lack of comfortable seats A few tables scattered about the room, with a variegated assortment of chairs and the tape machine, made up the furniture. The steward had a little bar near the fireplace, with an array of glasses and bottles beside him, but all in the room were surprisingly abstemious, and loved their cigars more than the bottle. Abstemiousness when he has business on hand is a very marked feature of the professional bettiug man. The backer would do well to emulate him. There was no excitement. Commission agents came in an out, made their proposals, too* a noto of them, and left. There was a whirr from the machine and the starters came ticking over, followed very quickly by the name of the winner, then the repeat and the names of the placed horses. The Spobtihg Tipsteb.

One curious feature of turf life remained to be investigated—tbe sporting tipster. He is a very rare bird to catch, and he is by no means disposed to give himself away. ' Tbe Sporting Tipster,' asked he, 'want to know about him ? Why, there are as many classes of him as there were colours in Joseph's coat. Those who do it on a large scale spend hundreds of pounds a year in advertising. But if s a wonder the public don't tumble to asking why, if these men are such sure prophets, they don't back their own fancies. By doing so, according to tbeir own puffing, they would be millionaires in the course of a season. The very plebeian tipster, who, for half a bage of ale—that is, half a pint —and whose outside demand never exceeds a tanner—will, any racing day—more especially early in the morning—give you an absolute 'cert.' He knows all about the private trials and the exact weight each starter had up. I mean the Fleet Street lumberer. Again, the newsboys are not at all backward in putting buyers of the evening papers on all the winners for a deuce—2d,—while you wait. With the merest stump, of a pencil they will mark off the winner of each race, and, be it said, often as not are rarely successful/ I ' And the tipster off the course ?' I •We all know him. He dons a jockey's jacket and cap, turns up his sleeves and commences to patter at great length, without tbe slightest regard to 1 the letter Hor grammar. According to himself, he has tipped absolutely every winner of the big races and handicaps for ten years past, and now for the small sum of one shilling his cards can be obtained. He does not guarantee the price at which the horses will start, but at toe same time is open to lay the most extraordinary odds that he has ' Hevery Habsolute Certainty.' The last example of the tipster and the cheapest of the whole lot is the vendor of penny packets of acid drops, Every purchaser of these luxuries is given the presumed winner of the next race. If you have five or pix winners you must have a similar number of packets.'