N.S.W. Will Not Allow Football Pools

Chronicle (Levin), 11 May 1949, Page 7

N.S.W. Will Not Allow Football Pools

Keceivecl Tuesday, 7 p.m. SYDNEY; Ma y 10. The State authorities are prepared to resist with iegai proeeedings any attempt to introduce the English craze ox iootball pools mto New South Wales. Acting 011 information that a locai sports body and possibly a branch of a huge Qnited Iviiigdom concern are eontemplating launching pool schemes based on the results of Saturday soccer games played in Sydney, the Chief Secretary, Mr. J. M. Baddeley, has instructed the New South Wales Oommissioner of Police to take immediate aetion against anyone committing breaches of the gaming laws. Thig aetion follows qu,ickiy on an announcement by the executive of the Auburn eombined sports committee that it haa decided to conduct regular football pools in Sydney froin May 21. Mr. A. Kerr, president of the committee, elainied in making the announeement, that the pools to be conducted would be Jegal because his organisation, as a nonprolit one tor a eonnnunal benefit, came under the Charita.de Collections Act. He added that tne pools would pay out prizes 011 threepenny forecasts of results of soccer matches in New Sout|i Wales. There were six matches each Saturday in the State League and six in the Southern League. The prizes would be paid to subseribers foreeasting the greatest nuniber of correex results and eum-«_oupun would have a space for twelve attempts at threepence each. . • This announeement foilowed rumours which arose when Shernian's Pools . Limited, of -Cardiff, Wales, decided to overcome the summer lull iri t'he Uniteu lvingdom, by using Sydney football results as a basis for Englislj pools. Incpiries from Australia as to whether Australians could take part in these pools, elicited the suggestion thatSherman's might become interested in a fully Australian project. Mr. Arthur Penny, managing-director of .Sherman's, said in London yesterday: "If therC is a demand by the Australian publie th rough our London otiice over Ihe next few months, Shernian's wiL ■ iook into the possibility of running Is in Australia next year. " ter next week, however, when the uiatches oi ''the English season win . ^layed, Sherman's coupons will con .-l wliolly oi Australian games whica will maintain the continuity of tne pools throughoat the English summer. Football pools constitute a vast indnstry . in the Cnited Kinkdom in which 12,000j()b0 people send in coupons to 135 promoters*'evei-yvweek. -vln postage stamps and postal npte'l'alone the British Gove.rnipejit bonelits \to the ex tent of £lo,U0()/Hlk> The pools employ | 300,000 people and uie yearly stakes total £10, 0C0, 000. For a stake of sixpence, British enthusiasts have won up ,:o £73,795 each. The New South Wales Government tself the o;-ganiseiPNj.f lcfrferie^- whiCh !ast year made a profit oF £2,000,000, is determined that not even under the guise of charity will football pools be permitted here. . ■ L