CASE FOR BOOKMAKERS

Chronicle (Levin), 7 March 1947, Page 7

CASE FOR BOOKMAKERS

-Press Association

Want To Be Put On Eqdali Footing

By Telegrapti-

WELLINGTON, Mar. '6. Wlieu the Gauiing Commission resunied the liearing of evidenee this afternoon, Mr. W. E. Leicester present ed Ihe case for the Dominion Hportsnien 's Association, which made the follouing general submissions:— (1) The present volume of off-course bettiug in New Zealand at least equals, if it does not exceed, that of totalisator betting and is increasing in quantity. (2) The present gaming laws have proved inadequate and ineffective to deal with sucli olf-course betting. (3) The real remedy for the situaLioii is to be i'onnd in the legalisation of bookmakers to permit them to handle off-course betting subject to conditions -as to taxation, under striet supervision and coritrol and in offices to which the public has no physical access. (4; Otlier possible remedies' such as betting shops, licensed bookmakers on courses, inereased penalties against bookmakers and bettors, doubles' totalisator, w'iring through Post Offices and totalisator ageucies, do not providc an adequate and effective solution. The statement was a lengthy one and covcred the following matters: — The association 's objects, aims and, I'uuctions and a resume of the gaming. laws and proposed 1931 Bill in New; Zealand in relation to bookmakers. Ethical cousiderations touched on were: — (a) The public attitude towards gambling; (b) the duty of the State; (c) the i>ublic demand for off-course betting; (d) permitted stimuli to bet-, ling (1) broadcasting (2) newspapers; (e; attitude of the churches. ; The position of off-course betting in" Ihe Btates of Australia was dealt' with in considerable detai), followed by reaspns for lcgalisiug off-course betting in New Zealand. A jiroposed method was submitted along with alternative roiuedies, namcly, betting shops, licensed bookmakiug on courses, ipcreased penalties, a doubles' totalisator, wiring through Post Offices, totalisator agencies. Public Attitude "That all gaiubiing is sinful and should be suxqiressed by legislation is a proposition upon which widely different points of vievv are held, but even: assuniing that it represents a conunendable ideal, it should be sought througlii education and instruction rather than tli rough legislative prohibition, " the stateuient conteuded. "Most peopleeonsider that to wager is a natural lustinct which no law will prevetit.. i'ney regard betting on liorse racing as' a recrealion and a diversion and do uol eonsider it imniorai. It is to bc letuenibered that niany workinen iind relaxution in wagering smali amounfcs in off-course betting. Tkey iind that after a week's toil, a pursuit of this descriplion gives solace to w-hat otlierwise is often a drab li-fe. They iind considerable en.jpynient iu'Spending an, allernoon in the vveek-end listening to Ihe broadcasting of raees Over the vvireiess or the broadcasting of results and at the same lime liaving an interest in soiue liorse or horses running in such laces. As a Uieans of spending their leisure huurs, dh.ey piefer iudulgence i u olt-course. betting either to dt'inking m lioteis or dfinkiiig eJsewhere or to i ue niural u|)lil'tiiig that would no doubt be llerived from inore cultural or arlistic activities. ' ' xMany contend that in off-course botting' of this description they are undcr icss templalion to lose more than l iiey rau alford than they would be wexo tliey Lo niake investmeuts on soiiie lacecourse. VVhether or not this is so, niany are [irevented through oue reason or another from attending race meetings, and olf-course betting within their iiieans provides a break from the monolony of everyday life. Tliis posilion especially axffilies to niany people in the snialier towns or in outback or isolated areas, and it apx»lies also, in ihe large centres, to those who have actually attended race meetings and desire to l'ollow elsewdiere the running' oi horses upon which they have previousiy invested their nioney, or in vvhicli tliey have a more special interest. To niany sucli people iudulgence in off-course betting is a hobby and ar substnnlial interest in life, apart from their e\ery-day work. Kacing papers aie bouglit and digested, affd racing lorm discussed from the time that nominations on various meetings are announced. "it is submitted that those who support the' present systeni of off-course betting, illegal though it may be, do not eonsider it inuuoral. They liiid. llicinselves unable, upon any ethicaJ liasis, to dravv a distinction between betting on tlie totalisator and bettiug v\illi a bookmaker. If the law regards the one as justiliable, they fail to see why it should look upon the other as wrong. ' ' Association ' s Scheme The association subniitted a scheme for the control of off-the-course betting. The Governiueiit should set up a " Lieensiug and Betting Board" consisting of 1 (aj A chairman being a person haviug knowledge of racing and betting niatters generally and, preferably, a Stipeiuliary Magistrate in order to en-. sure judicial consideration of matters under its control. (b) A chartered accountant to ensure expert supervision of various matters pertaining to linance. (c) A itcpresentati ve of the New Zealand Racing Oonferen.ce. d) A representative of the New Zealand Trotting Conference. (e) A representative of the bookmakers. . The board should be vested with full Aitd coniplete control of every phase of tacing and trotting and wagefiilg thoreou, including the issue, superrision and revocation of betting .icences; the institution of criminal proceedings for breaches of its rules arul regulations and for- betting frauds and corrupt practices in. resjiect of the running of horse races; and the t'ormulation of start.ing price limits payable by licensed bookmakers to offc uurse bettors. Jt is suggested that the following

metliod should operate in regard to betting transactions between the book Uiaker and tho off-course bettor: — (a) The board liceuce one bookmaker to every 3000 of the population locating those to wliom licences are granted as far as possible where they will best. serve the' needs of botli tslands. (b) The board satisfy itself that the applicant for a licence is a iit and proper person to be licensed as a booktnaker and is a mernber of the associa tion or of some similar asso'ciation o: body exercising disciplinarv powers over its bookmaker members a/d charged with the duty of reporting to ihe board serious breaches of its rules and regulations. (c) Licensed bookmakers be compelled to write every wager on betting tickets in triplicate on the prescribed forpg sucli form containing tlie iiaiuc of the bettor, the horse backed, the meeting at which the liorse in running and tiie odds laid. This triplicate reciord would be distributed as follows:^ — The original to be; retained by tlie bookmaker, the lirst co'py to be forwarded to the tax collector, the sccond co]>y lo be handed to bettor on settling. Taxation at the rate of 5 per cent. should be paid by Ihe wiiiner of eacli wager, whetlier off-course bettor or bookmaker, on the 'net winnings. Eor the purposes of this ' taxation, a wager on a horse win ai}U place wpuld be treated as two separate' wagers. Thus: (1) A (the bettor) wagers £5 each way with B (the bookmaker) on ' ' Kubla Khan" which fails to run into a "place." B is l'iable for 10/- tax; (2) A (the bettor) wagers £5 each way With ;B ('thejjboplfiJiaker); on '/.Zanadu " which runif'tlhiM aiid: pays',: £3 *#s for a place. A is liable,:'fo.r 12/- tax being assessed on the net winnings on the place wager (£17 due less £5 invested.) B is liable for 5s tax oo the win wager; (3) A (the bettor) wagers £5 each way with B (the bookmaker) on "Pleasure Dome" which wins and jiays £6 . 4s for a win and- £2 16s' for a place. A is liable for 26s tax 011 the win wager (£31 due less £5 invested) and for 9s 011 the place wager (£14 due less £5 invested.) In order to protect the betting public and to secure payment of taxation due upon off-course betting, eacli licensed bookmaker should furiiish a fidelity bond of £2000. Licence fees should be upon the following scale: — Bookmakers with oue telephone £100, plus £50 per each additional phone. The Financial Benefits The association claims that it is possible to give an estiniate of tlie revenue to be derived by tlie Government and by Racing Clubs from its proposed scheiue of off-course bettiug. This estimate is based upon the following assumptions: — (a) There is oue bookmaker licensed to every 3000 people in tlie Dominion — an approximate total of 500 bookmakers; (b) A licensed bookmaker holds £800 in wagers on each racing day — a conservative estimate; (c) Tax at the rate of 5 per cent. 011 winniiig bets; (d) There are 60 racing days ycarly. The turnover would be £S00 x 500 x 60, total £24,000,000. Tlie estimated revenue would be: Tax, £1,200,000; licence fees (500 at £200 average). £100,000; licence fees of bookmakers ' clerks — say 1000 at £10 each, £10,000; ticket tax 'estimated to produce £25,000. Total £1,335,000. It is submitted that the proposed scheme possesses certain manifest advantages: (a) It gives the Governuierit through the Liceusing and Betting Board control of off-course betting; (b) It enables the Government and the Racing Olubs to derive a revenue lost to them under .the existing ganiing laws; (c) It provides a method of licensing in the iaterests botli of racing and of the public that serves to keep reputable men iri the business of bookmaking and to eliminate those who accept wagers witli no prospect of meeting their liabilities if they lose to the off-course bettor.; (d) It furuishes a check on the operations of • racing racketeers or gangs by showing the origin of large wagers and the destination of substantial winnings; (e) Officers of the board of the N.Z, Racing and Trotting Gonferences • would be eutitled to access to the preihises and records of bookmakers and the best fneans of controlling off-course betting and o£ keeping a striet supervision pver bookmakers' accounts would thereby be provided.