BETTING CODES

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1932, Page 6

BETTING CODES

JUDGE PUZZLED BY SYMBOLS. MELBOURNE, December 27. Mysterious symbols oil slips of paper puzzled Judge Woiilarski in the General Sessions. Air Leo Little, counsel for the defence, contended that they had nothing to do'With the “Sport of Kings, but after, having heard the iißerpretotioiis of Detective Cavana-gh, ins Honor drew an inference and upheld a conviction.

Frank. Ambler, tobacconist, was convicted at the South Melbourne Court oil a charge of having lihd the care and management of a. common gaining house in Lark Street, South Melbourne. He Was fined £2O, in defaultfour months’ imprisonment.

; Evidence for the was. .that He slips were deposited in a “secret” drawer. • , . • ", Two Interpretations. A typical conundrum presented by the slips was; “S.Y.D. 273. I.A. 426.” The answer according to Detective Cavanagh, who said he had sixteen years’ experience in the interpretation of betting codes, was: 2if on horse number 7 in. number 3 race in Sydney concession. “These codes are known to startingprice bookmakers,” said the detective. “That, is pure, assumption,” declared Mr Little. “ ‘J.A.,’ for instance, might stand for irrelevant assumption.’ ” Another symbol—the letters H.S.M. with the figure 2in a circle — was interpreted by the detective as “2s on Dookie in the first race.” “That might mean ‘His Satanic Majesty,” said Mr Little.

Amber, in evidence, said he did not know of the existence of the slips until liis. attention was drawn to them by the police. Mr Little argued that the onus of proving that the Mips were associated with hotting had not boon discharged by the Crown, and lie asked Judge Woinarski to state a case for the opinion of the State Full Court.

II is Honoir, however, refused to do so. He said lie liiid. stated such cases before, hut" no more hpd' been heard of them. The idea, apparently, was to give., defendants time to pay their fines, ■ Ambler was given a fortnight in which to pay-his- fine.