THE GAMING ACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 66, 11 December 1907, Page 9

THE GAMING ACT.

... i 1 • KCOEBESPONDENT.) :> n' ' -■ i, -Auckland, December 10. • ... the - Gaming Act "Phaeton,* 1 , ■ ... °V-. sporting, writer, says: The . respectivp,,nrpnouncemeuts. made' during the present week at, Auckland and Wellington bv.-, the, J,rme. Minister , and Attbrhcy-GeneraT .. Act. are. well timed. ' Re-' how. much ' depends upon • their '. •?n a-.desire,, to; work iiv concord .with"' . tJ !° ..Government' in. the endeavour to Drinc •• ot affairs.. It is hot a '' i" e . , s^ri ? rlsl ,"S : the Racing Committees • ' suould have been the first :to display a rest »i'« and; to tall; fight' over tho Gam- . uig Act, and this.iii tha'faco of the hew order' •' .tfjthjngs being' moire. likely. iiilthe. long "run to , uolioht their, clubs, aiidraemg generallyi,'than-■ jthoiold,; state of affairs; had'.been allowed-''"" • S®!°.9n|mu<j. "Those whoni'the Gods wish to • .destroy, they first made mad,Tis au aphop>that. may. .1 think, ue aptly applied .'to..'i':'-< ■*£'P: J!i a °y.\S ~ W u b,. Committees , antipathy to i the Gaming Act. This hostility may be'said '' " tot solely,.centre in tho edict're licensing oi' bookmak'ersj. biitrif t'lioso. ini authoritv would just.eudeaVour;to.brush' th'o'"scales.from tlieii oybs; thiis obtaining.clear isiglit, and furthei' '' ,Wt..alJow;...the,.tpt!)lisat<) r _.tp .eternally. Avarp ' •their judgment,, they' would speedily be aolo I -to,recognise .what,a great advautage is to be I gained.'by..the coiicentratipn'of hcttiiig on' the'' Racecourse; wliic,h;-.:Jt. s may. .be .remarked, ig ( a cardinal, plank in the Gaming Act.' It may,"• i' ■of;course, he asked'could this not have ucen ' .cffcetwl;: without., .legalising, bookmakirig. '" v I'ossibly,:it .could," but then; it, is wise' to tako' jn'tli.ojwjiple pfjth'e.circumstances,. and when" ,thafc.'fe dono, well'.then the logalisiiig of boplt- ''| '* iiiakci's oil tho. racecourse ..can-be approved,' " for aMicSrise'.'tolhdt' .oil a. racecourse: will, I ■ tf 1 ! 5 ?.. require. something ' :moro ' than-'" tho '•> '' possession of-gold,; a bag and'a bundle'flf' ' tickets. That the clubs will make a' serious 1 1 .tactical blunder if -they-; seek, to run counter '■to-tho spirit of the Gaming Act-.is au opimon that will, I think,-be-largely subscribed to, I and in conncction-therewith it= can be said >. . that the tote looms large. The machine has, ■no: doubt) -yet a 'goodi number 'of supporters/' hut • ntf! ofte .requires -to-be. tolil. that thero ■ ' ■ is a hig-.majority against it. and if.it wpre to. .. , ' , ; lpse.,the,„support. of those in jjower the .ict ! ■ .making i.te use legal would speedily be removed 7 : V ..from the. statute book. 'It m'ayube assumed- *•'' that the various committees of racing clubs .would be prepared to; go through fire and' ; water to;save the.totalisatbr from extinction. -■>' -The writing- biv this' wall, suggests the thought - 1 that' they' : may not have'loii£ to wait for a' ' . test in that direction should they run counter ' to. the spirit of the Gaming Acfc- , A 4 to tho"'- effect of' - tho . licens-•. "'©"."'of;"-.bookmakers' at .' tho. recent v. fakapunn ''Jockey Club's'-" spring • meet-- •• JHf! -"Phaot6n"--remarks:- When figures. '■■■ came to. be totted up at the contlusion of tho - . gathering it was;.found that .the' sum handled aS the-inachines in-connection with ilie. .• .sixteen events'which formed the programme; : lan -'out'. 1 to' -'£14.9904. •' ' This raprcsents r. a.., decrease 0f'£3409, compared with the'record associated with the same meeting in the pro-.-. ; ; ceding year, but bearing'.-, in ..'mind that, the club received £375 jn license fees. from the peneillers the financial 'result so far as they ,-aro concerned is quite satisfactbry.