USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRIC TOTALISATORS

Chronicle (Levin), 10 March 1947, Page 5

USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRIC TOTALISATORS

-P'^ess Association

SUGGESTIGN TO COMMISSION

By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, March 10. j Cyril V. Day, public accountant of Palmerston North, who said he had had 35 years' experience with totalisators, gave evidence before the Gaming Commission today. He suggested tne use of portaoie electric totalisators at race meetings where the most modern machines were not in use. He also dealt with the possibility of operating tlfe "double" totahsator with tlie aid Af the portable eiectric maciiine. _ ; The portable machine, he said, could provide modern totalifiator facilities on all courses with a capi-

tal outlay within tne resourees oi every elub, and it would eliminate the wastage of large sums of money on indiyidual permanent equipment. A portable eiectric machine with a multi-valve ticket issuer would provide a solution to the problem of double betting. The only extra plant required would be some additional aggregating machinery to record the investments, and it would be possible to operate up to seven doubles daily. The fundamental principle of the scheme he put forward for handling off-eourse betting, said Mr. Day, was the utilisation of the serviees of the Post and Telegraph Department. Whenever it was now possible to* send a telegram, it should be possible to record free of cost an investment on any horse on any racecourse in New Zealand. A , standard interval between raees would be necessary — he suggested 45 minutes— and the elosing time for off-xourse, betting should be, if possible,, no more than 40 minutes before the start of each race. Investments at individual offices would be collated and the total investments on each horse on each pool would be transmitted by telephone to the chief post office in the district. In turn the investments within each chief postal district" would be collated into one total and. transmitted' by teleprinter direct to the raceco.urses. There we.re nineteen chief post offices in New Zealand. This would mean that there would be 19' commission investments on the totalisator for each race to handle oficourse betting. Mr. Day also suggested that the post office facilities be utilised for the payment of dividends, receiving a commission of 2-1- per cent. to be paid by the club concerned.