BETTING SYSTEMS ARE ILLEGAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 56, 28 May 1927, Page 15

BETTING SYSTEMS ARE ILLEGAL

THE “SIMPLEX” IDEA PROPRIETOR TO PAY FINE OF FIVE POUNDS being a loser and start winning, by purchasing the Simplex System!” 'JMIIS advertisement in the “Times and Sporting News,” over a post office address at Newmarket, caught the eye of the assistant-postmaster, Mr. J. J. Kearney, last December, and so a letter was sent along to “Simplex” asking for further details. As the inquiry seemed no different from any of the others that “Simplex” received, the information was duly forthcoming, and as a result Alfred Kirkwood was charged in the Police Court yesterday with “sending a circular whereby it was made to appear that he would, on application, give information and advice relating to any horse race.” The particulars received by the Postal Department (which was mainly concerned with Kirkwood’s right to use the box for such a purpose) indicated that the system would be forwarded on receipt of one guinea, a further two guineas to be paid when the money came rolling in from the totalisator. In a statement made to Senior-De-tective Hammond, Kirkwood said that he did not think he was doing wrong. He had seen other racing systems advertised. He had had many sales of his own particular method. Chief-Detective Cummings produced a small book in which the operation of the “Simplex System” was told to enter the placed horses in each race throughout the Dominion. Bets were to be made on the first and last handicap events of each meeting, the long printed list of instructions set forth. Kirkwood’s counsel argued that there was nothing wrong in what his client had done, and affirmed that the charge was not brought under the correct clause of the Act.

“You don’t suggest for a minute that this is legal?” queried the magistrate. *

“I do,” said counsel. “If this man is convicted then every newspaper in New Zealand should be convicted also.”

“If you lefok in last night’s SUN or any of the other papers, you will find four horses picked out for the Great Northern Hurdles.” “Oh, well, I’ll deal with them, too, if the police prosecute them,” said Mr. Hunt, and the crowded court smiled at the Press table. “These systems are creeping in every day,” said the chief detective. “These men are living on the ignorance of poor, unfortunate people who can ill-afford it.”

“Fined £5 with costs,” said the magistrate. “I was going to make it £10,” he explained, in order that counsel might take the case to the Supreme Court, but the defendant did not wish to do that.