RACECOURSE DETECTIVES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 245, 10 July 1919, Page 7

RACECOURSE DETECTIVES

■ 1 1 GROWTH OP ILLICIT BETTING. "Wo desire to further emphasise our ; remarks in previous reports relative to .• employment of efficient racecourse detectives," stated tho report of the Stipen- , diary Stewards' Committee, which was submitted to tho Racing Conference yes- , lerday. , "Tho time for employing casual men at. ,£2 per day is surely past, especially when those so engaged cannot' possibljr know bookmakers and others lion-rosident in the district where racing is taking plnce. It is quite apparent that illicit betting has grown, and is growing enormously,-during the past season, and it is only reasonable to suppose that a proper racecourse detective system would have good effect in checking this. It is also a notorious fact that a great factor to this-increase in illicit betting is 'that a very large number of our owners 'bet, and bofc extensively, with tho bookmaker, and no doubt such owners consider themselves sportsmen. If so, they forgot , the fact that no clean sportsman would tako stakes pipvided ■ by tho.totalisator and rob it of its just Tights by betting wits the bookmaker. Although tho existing law should be quite efficient to prevent bookmaking, no effort seems to bo made by Government to adequately enforce provisions of the Gaming Act. Seeing that this is so, it is; quite up to tho management of racing to see that all racecourses ara policed in an efficient manner. The cost of same should be a very minor consideration, .because if this menace, illicit betting, ia .Allowed to go on much longer, it will in all probability have the effect of driving many of our owners and others out of tho gamo."