PUNTING PER 'PHONE.

NZ Truth, Issue 87, 16 February 1907, Page 4

PUNTING PER 'PHONE.

A well-known local firm of bookmakers have once more had an unsatisfactory argument with a punter, aijd a good punter, too, over the recent Trentham meeting. The latter, who avers that he has been the victim of a ''scale," tells his victory as follows :— Throughout the meeting he had been putting £10. on Prism m all the colt's engagements. On the last day, as usual, he rang up the firm, and on giving his bet £10 on Prism he was answered, "all right." As is well known, this horse scored on tie last day and paid near-

ly £5, so that anyone, following it through the meeting would have had a credit balance to his account. However, much to the astonishment of the punter; when he went to collect his dividend , he ras instantly attacked m virulent language, and informed that he had backed English Rose, who started favorite, and ran unplaced. This, of course, set the ball going, and the punter was told before a crowd of men that if he went along there trying to work a swindle the bookmaker would "tear his tripes out." The backer says he was quite willing to accommodate 'the Tommy provided the latter-would repeat his threat outside, but refused to be drawn into • a quarrel on disadvantageous ground, and before biased witnesses, and that ended the trouble. But the matter of the bet is still unsettled^ and the bookie has the gall to claim that the punter owes him money. The < punter who trusts to the telephone deserves to tumble m ; and if the firm ! think they are wronged a similar remark applies to them. With the punter it makes a difference of nearly £50, and if he is willing to risk an argument by using such an untrustworthy medium as a Wellington telephone he has only himself to blame. It is within the, bounds of possibility that. the bookmaker made a mistake m taking the message, more especially as English Rose- was m such hot demand, ' and he was writing" that name all the time, but: this continuous haggling and rumors' of "scaling" "eunntrtrdc^fre^^e^ a»ygood, and- they should' be careful' what they take per the 'phone, and pay up when fairly beaten. To refute a wager and brutally threaten a regular customer, to publicly brand him as a rogue and pointer, is the sort of thing that is calculated to sgml any bookmaking firm right out of business. The public is a fool, rip-' t <vr>v.eh, but not quite fool enourh rlrr <Vuit. ;