EUCHRE ILLEGAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 109, 29 July 1927, Page 13

EUCHRE ILLEGAL

“CHANCE, NOT SKILL” ; MAGISTRATE’S RULING promoters CONVICTED In a reserved judgment which Mr. VV. R» McKean, S.M., delivered at the Police Court to-day, it w as held that euchre tournaments are illegal. The magistrate said that chance, not skill, was the predominant element in progresive euchre. The case was one in which J. Remington and J. Lomax were charged with keeping a common gaming house a t the Masonic Hall, Devonport. The evidence at the hearing of the case was that the defendants ran weekly euchre tournaments in the hallWHIST AS A COMPARISON In his judgment, the magistrate stated that in most games of cards there exists a substantially operative element of skill, and quoted whist as an example. It had been held in an English case that whist, played under conditions almost similar to those of the euchre tournament, was a game of chance, because the element of skill was alight, and that of chance minantThe only distinction between the eases was that the initial amount of skill required for euchre was possibly lees than that required for whist. The element of chance was made greater by the fact that the winners might be players who Had not finished their games when the bell had rung. There had been nothing in the evidence to shew that skill predominated at the tournaments. A sergeant of police gave evidence that he had tried hard to win, but his efforts were nullified by changes of partners. “TOURNAMENTS A BUSINESS” The evidence showed that the defendants had made a business of the tournaments by holding them regularly. This amounted to keeping a common gaming house within the meaning of the Act. The legislation was directed against those who, fbr their own profit and in the way of business open premises for the purpose of gaming. “It should be added,” said the magistrate, “that the tournaments have been conducted fairly and in an orderly manner.” In order to give Mr. Schramm, defendant’s counsel, an opportunity to consider the question of appeal, the penalties will not be imposed until Monday, and the convictions will be entered on that day.