RACE BETTING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 12, 9 October 1919, Page 6

RACE BETTING

AND THE BOOKMAKER THE DOUBLE TOTALISATOR TWO POINTS OF VIEW A very interesting discussion about the totalisator took placo in the House of Representatives last night when Internal Affairs were under consideration. Mr. 6. Hunter said he would tako advantage of the opportunity to ask tio Minister in charge of the Department to consider favourably tho question of tho legalisation of tho double machine. Ho thought that if the Government would legalise tho double machino it would remove from the turf one of the groatest ovils working against tho welfare nf the aport at the present time. He asked the Minister to give this matter his earnest consideration. as a means of purifying the turf. ' Mr, ft. Forbes supported what had lasn said Dy ttie member for Waipaiva. .lie eaid Hint if tho Government would toko in buna the whole field of race betting and ;.„;, leave part of the ground untouched, thereby encouraging the bookmaker, a good service would be done to tho sport and to the public. ■ What was most to be desired was the elimination of the bookmaker. He did not think thoro was any chance of closing down on the people who were interested in tho racing of horses. Parliament must realise that this was a thing tho people wanted to do, and if they did not do it along proper lines they would do it on other lines. Although it was illegal there wero hosts of people in this country living on the business of bookinaking, and the racing clubs should be allowed to cover the ground, now covered by tho bookmakor. Unless this were done it wouJd never bo possible to eliminate tho bookmaker. Mr. Pearce also urged the Minister to take step 3 at onco to legalise the double machine. . He had that day been approached by a racing man in the etreets of Wellington, who had offered to show him half-a-dozen bookmakers operating through the telegraph office. This was uguinst flie regulations, but apparently the staff had had no instructions on the' matter, and they wero using the telegraph for betting messages quito freely. There wero thousands of these people in the country at present, and ' the evil was increasing/probably because money was plentiful. One of the best ways of eliminating the bookmaker would bo by the introduction of the double machine, because it was in doui6 bettiEg that the bookmaker made his biggest profits. If there were a dou\lo totalisator the bookmaker would have to go out of business. At present ho laid very short odds on doubles, and made a very big profit. Sir Joseph Ward: How do you know? Mr. Pearce; "You can get double cards anywhere in the etreets of Wellingtonittle printed cards. I am not foolish enough to back doubles myself; they aw too hard to pick." He went on to urge that if it were inado possible for people to send money to the course, the bookmaker would be discouraged, and tho Stato revenue would gain by the investments. He was not in favour of trying to stop gambling by 'legislation, but il was desirable that bookmaking should be stopped because it would stop betting on credit. One point in favour of<the maohine was thatjn order to bet a person must have the'cash. Bookmakers, , would accept bets on credit, and young men were encouraged to bet who could not afford it, and who often got into trouble in • their offices ae the result. It would not bo possible to do away altogether with the spirit of gambling, ov speculation.

An hon. member:,ls it a good investment? Mr. Pearce had to admit that it was not a good investment. Last year five millions and a half had been put through the machine. Out of this the racing clubs had taken half a million and tho Government had taken a quarter of a million. • , The- Minister (Major Hine) said that the habit of boys betting was deplorable, but' he did not think that the evil was confined to boys. Anything he could do to fight tho bookmaker would be done, but his duty was to administer the law. The double totalisator and tho telegraphing of bets to the course were at present prohibited by law, and it was no part of his .duty to alter this arrangement or to suggest that it be altered. It. was quite evident to him that if such, things as the member for Patea had mentioned were goiny on, the Justice , Department should take a hand in the matter. Mr. L. M. leitt said it was very refreshing to hear such an outburst of moral enthusiasm from the member for Patea. The schemes of that honourablo member were all aimed at the bookmaker, but there was not a member of tho House who did not know that since Hie introduction of tho totalisator tho evil of gambling had increased e hundred per cent. If members of the Ilouse were really desirous of arresting gambling, arid to stop the operations of the bookmaker, why did they not cease playing with the thing, and prohibit the nowspapors from publishing racing news and betting odds, and prohibit tho Post Office from transmitting racing wires P

An lion, member: And prohibit smiling? Mr. Pearee: They can't publish betting odds now. Mr. leitt: "They can't publish betting odds, but they, tell just as much in othei waye. They tell ihat a certain horse carries suoh, and such a weiglit, that such a horeo will do well because carrying sucn and such a weight ho did bo and so. Everything is done to encourage the poor dupe in his gambling." He declared that the evil of betting was not confined to lads. Ho told of liow a money lender had informal him in Cliristohrrch that he could always tell when thero was a race meeting going on. Another man who had bred horses, raced them, and ridden them, had declared that tho amount of hotting he had seen among women at Trontham races had almost made him wish nover to go on a courso again. He advised the House that the best way to stop gambling would be to limit the 'permits. If they had sense they would wipo the thing out altogether. . "A lovely thing i 3 tho racecourse," he said. "A nest of blackguards."