THE BOOKMAKER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2347, 27 October 1921, Page 4

THE BOOKMAKER.

proposals' for reinstate-

MENT.

The Dominion Sports Association has formulated suggested amendments to the Gaming Act which broadly aim at reinstating the bookmaker on New Zealand racecourses. It is proposed that the calling of the bookmaker shall be made lawful as was the case prior to his' abolition, and that the license fee shall be £2OO per year for thedfiside enclosure and £SO for the outside, with a daily fee of £2O and £5 respectively. It is proposed that only properly authorised betting tickets he used. v

The full text of the proposed amendment is as follows: —

SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS TO

THE ACT

(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Gaming Amendment Act, 1920, or Section 4 of the Gaming Amendment Act, 1919, or any other Act, the business or occupation of a bookmaker shall be lawful, and may be carried on to the extent and in the manner provided by this section. (2) The Racing Conference shall from time to time, on the application of any person who is in the opinion of the Racing Conference a tit and proper person to be so licensed, and who is reported upon by the Commissioner of Police to the Racing Conference as a person fit and proper to be so licensed, grant a license to such person to enter on any racecourse and there to carry on the business of a bookmaker.

(3). Every such license shall be for the period of one year, and the fee payable in respect thereof shall be the sum of two hundred pounds in the ease of a license to do business in the inside enclosure, and the sum of fifty pounds in the case of a license to do business on the outside, which license fee shall be paid to the Racing Conference, and by it into the public, account and form part of the Consolidated Fund. Every person so licensed shall pay in respect of each race meeting which he attends for the purpose of .parrying on business as aforesaid to the Racing Club conducting such meeting a fee to be fixed by the Racing Club of not exceeding twenty pounds per day in the case of a person licensed to do business in the inside cenclosure, and not exceeding five yound's per day in the case of a person licensed to do business on the outside. In addition the licensee shall pay to the Racing Club a fee of one pound per day for each clerk employed by him in the inside and ten shillings for each clerk employed by him on (he outside.

(5). No person carrying on business as a bookmaker under this section shall make any bet except on a racecourse, and he shall not upon any racecourse make any bet except upon at ticket to be called a “betting ticket” previously stamped with an impressed stamp by or under the authority of the Commissioner of Stamp Duties.

(ti). The value of such impressed stamp shall be the sum of threepence, and betting tickets so stamped shall be obtainable at the office of any Deputy Commissioner of Stamp puties by any personJieensed as a bookmaker under-tlus section upon payment of the said sum of threepence for each ticket so obtained.

(7) Any person who not being a licensed bookmaker under this section in any way uses any such betting ticket for the purpose of making a bet shall be liable on summary conviction to a line of not exceeding one hundred pounds for each offence. (8) Any bookmaker licensed under, this section who commits :i breach of any of the provisions of this section) shall he liable on summary conviction to a fine of not exceeding five hundred pounds, and on such conviction or on conviction under Section '2 of the Gaining Amendment Act, 1920, for carrying on the business of a bookmaker otherwise than under the provision of this section, the Racing Conference may cancel his license. (0). flic provision of Section 4 of the Gaming Amendment Act, 1910, shall continue to apply to any person carrying on the business of a bookmaker otherwise than in pursuance of a license issued under this section. ,