GAMING AND LOTTERIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3777, 5 November 1907, Page 3

GAMING AND LOTTERIES.

Some Stringent Provisions. Race Clubs Officials. The Gaming and Lotteries Bill, introduced by the Premier, was ’circulated on Saturday. A penalty not exceeding or in default three months’ imprisonment, is imposed on any person owning or keeping any house, room, or place as a common gaming house, taking part in the management of the same, or advancing money for gaming purposes at such places. Anyone found in a common gaming house without lawful excuse may be fined £5. Common gaming houses include clubs, except those holding charters under the Licensing Act, 1881, and also includes premises kept for lotteries. All games of chance are declared unlawful within the meaning of the Gaming Acts. DECLARING A GAMING HOUSE. Power is given the Supreme Court to declare premises to be a a common gaming house. The police on such declaration being made shall advertise the fact in the Gazette and in the local newspapers, and shall cause a notice of the making of the declaration ] to be served on the owner or ocJ cupier, or on their agent. A notice visible to all persons entering the premises must also be posted up. A heavy penalty is made for the removal of such notice. Clause 17 deals with the expulsion of the occupier from the premises. The declaration may be rescinded against the premises on conditions as are provided. Any person found on, or entering, premises after a declaration has been made or is in force shall be liable to arrest without warrant. The fine in such case is not less than £5 and not more than An owner of premises is also to be liable to a fine who fails to evict an occupier against whom a declaration has been made. To obstruct a constable or give warning of his approach is an offence punishable by a fine up to i£ioo or three months’ imprisonJjnent. STREET BETTING. Any person who frequents, uses, or is in any street for the purpose of betting, is made liable to a fine of not less than £ 2O, and not more % than for the first offence, and for any subsequent offence to a term of imprisonment not exceeding three months. Persons betting on sports grounds are liable to a penalty of £2O. RACE MEETINGS. An officer ol a racing club shall not accept telegraphic instructions as to investments on the totalisator, and any person infringing this section shall be liable to ,a fine of not less than £2O and not more than No telegrams relating to betting or investments on the totalisator shall be delivered at any racecourse. Advertisements as to betting on horse races are prohibited under pain of a penalty of £2O, but this section shall not apply to any advertisement or notification exhibited solely on a racecourse by any racing club authorised to use the totalisator, or to any publication after a face of information in respect to the result off betting in connection therewith. /The use of the double totalisator or of the use of the machine in regard to the place of more than one horse in any one race is made illegal; an infringement of this section will carry a fine of not less than £2O and not exceeding No sums for investment on the totalisator shall be received after or within five minutes of the notified time of starting of a race, and no investments shall be received otherwise than at the totalisator itself. Any person committing an offence against this section is liable to a fine not exceeding ,£IOO. Racing clubs may, with the approval of the Governor, make regulations controlling admission to racecourses, and may exclude ther’efrom any specified class of persons, either absolutely or subject to conditions. A breach of such regulations is punishable by 3 fins up to ,/Every racing club which is uthorised to use the totalisator shall on application issue licenses to fit and proper persons to carry on business as bookmakers on the club’s racecourses. The club may charge a fee not exceeding £2O for every day of the currency o such license.