Sensational Allegations To Gaming Conimission

Chronicle (Levin), 9 May 1947, Page 5

Sensational Allegations To Gaming Conimission

-Press Association

By' Telegr-ph-

CHRISTCHURCH, Athy 8. "With respect 1 "submit that exagerated deferenee is paid to the assertions of persons. whose charaetei-. and record are such that they are UiiWorthy of credenee unless their evidence is supported. ' ' This remark was made by' Mr. A. T. Donnelly, ebunsel foi-*the New Zealand Rg,cing Conferehce, to the Royal CotomlssiQh on Gaming and Racing today after fhe chairnian (Mr. Jus tice Fihiay ) had said that .it appeared that all was not vvell with racing. Crorclon lieslie Bawarcls, hot'ei wofker, who said he had been a hookma.fer, alleged that a gang in New Zealand. nad manipoiated tne totansator ana had had big betting success. Edward3 wlio stated' that he was iii favoiir oi the iicensing of bookniakers for "on course," hetting, wheii cross-exam-ined by Mr. E. D. Blundell, also appearing for the Racing Conl'erence, said that the information of the gang was astonishing. Seven out of 10 horses hacked by them would -win. ' After his first convietion under the Gaming Act he had given up boolcmaking and had acted as agent for certain men, placing bets wliere he could. Wit* ness agreed with Mr. J. W. Heenan, a raember of the Conimission, that the headquarters of the gang was in the North [sland but he said that mertiliers had come to the South Island. They were well known to the bookmakers and used to place cash bets with agents. They would gain the confidenee of several agents and then telephone ana say they wanted a f'airly big bet on a liorse. If the horse won they would be around to collect their winnings but if it lost they were not seen again and the agent was responsible to his prineipal for the bet. It was the work of only one gang. After he had been sentenced to three months' imprisonment for keeping a eoinnion gaming house, he had got out of the business. When he was operating as a bookmaker a £500 turnover for a week would be a big amount. He could be deseribed as a "flea" operator. Mr. Donnelly was not present when some of Edwqj-ds ' replies to cross-exam-ination were heard and when Mr, Donnelly returned to the Commission, the chairman said that most alarming cir^ cumstanees' had been disclosed. Testiinony had been given that all was not well with racing and that some gang was opeiating which not only arranged 1 for a winner but also manipulated— the totalisator so that bigger "dividends than nornial would be pMd. "It is the first specific instance we have had that all is iiot well with racing at the moment," the chairman continued. "It is obviously something thal the Racing Conference will have to take mto early consideration and deal witl drastically." Mr. Donnelly replied that it was alJ very well for -bookmakers to say thal 1 all was 'not ( wfell- with racing but sucli uhings were possible only because there were bookmakers and there was onlj the word of the bookmakers that sueli tliings did uccur. Some persons were under disqualification now an'd when ever the Conference could obtain proof the oii'enders were dealt with. Inquiries had been made from tiine to time and it had been found that complaints were made by bookmakers when the^ were heavily ' hit. The chairman: It is not only working the bookniakers but also working the totalisator. Mr. Heenan said that Edwards~had mentioned a horse which yron at a meet ing awa}' from Christchurch. On the win machine it paidaa dividend of £8C and on tlie place machine paid £.127, but in Christchurch there was unlimited money 011 the horse with the bookmakers. A thorough .investigation had been made from time time, Mr. Donnelly said, and the volume of betting was ascertained as far as the Conference could get it. Owners, traxners and jockeys had nothing to do with-it. It was simply a transaction with the book makers. Complaihts from bookmakers had been heard before and had been inquired into an'd it was found that there was nothing wrong. , Mr. C. S. Thomas, for the New Zealand Trotting Conference, said that a big inqniry was held last year and it was found that there was nothing in it. "The only thing was that the bookieS had been squealing," he said. "The bookmakers in New Zealand can't take it." If the Racing Conference could get information to take action against any persons, they would be willing to do it, Mr. Donnelly said. He would write to Mr. W. E. Leicester, counsel for the Donvinion Sportsmen's Association, and I ask if his clients' could supply informa-" ' tion about their losses. If the book- | makers were not able or prepared to j give information about their lossjes, '■ they were simply making unwarranted eharges against the jockeys and trainers, he added. | "That is a somewhat negative attiI tude," said the chairman. "Suppose vou have a number of specific instances in which the totalisator has been used. for the purpose of a raeket. If they involve dishonesty bv jockeys or trai-ucrs or ownprs is it not for the Con ference to exhaust all its resources to suppress them?" • The chairman added that if the Conference 's legal forms were so rigid that persons couJd take advantage of them, they should perhaps be altered. On the whole the raeing business was eonducted with a substantial degree of honesty and the instances mentioned were only isolated. Mr. Donnelly replied that some proof — not neeessarily the same degree as that required in criminal cases — was needed before offenders could be eonvicted.