IN SOUTH AFRICA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 716, 16 July 1929, Page 14

IN SOUTH AFRICA

INTERESTING SIDELIGHTS ON THE SPORT WIDE SCOPE OF BETTING Among the visitors at Randwlck recently was Mr. F. T. Chapman, handicapper to the Eastern District Sporting Club, Benoni, South Africa. Mr. Chapman spent his younger days in Parkes and Wyalong, and Mrs. Chapman is a native of Parkes. Mr. Chapman went to South Africa immediately after the Boer War. He is chief assayer and chemist to the Witwatersrand Mining Company, Ltd. Referring to racing, Mr. Chapman said that the Johannesburg Turf Club was the Randwick of South Africa. They also had the Germiston Sporting Club, the Eastern District Sporting Club, the Auckland Park Racing Club, and the Johannesburg Pony and Galloway Club. With the exception of the Johannesburg Turf Club, the clubs over there could be likened to the suburban clubs in Sydney. Each club in the Transvaal was proprietary, limited to 10 per cent, dividends, and came under the jurisdiction of the South African Jockey Club, which, unlike the Australian Jockey Club, does not hold race meetings, but is the controlling body. So far as membership of the Jockey Club of South Africa is concerned, it is on all fours with the Jockey Club (England); the membership being restricted; and, consequently, there was the inevitable long waiting list. The racing clubs are each entitled to 15 meetings a y r ear; in addition, they have the smaller clubs that race midweek. Racing was improving in South Africa, but Mr. Chapman said that the prize money could not be compared, on the whole, with Randwick, although there are £ 6,000 handicaps at the important meetings of the Johannesburg Turf Club. The smaller clubs have £I,OOO events on their programmes at intervals. The totalisator operated in competition with the bookmakers, but facilities for machine wagering are much greater than in Sydney. They, have straight-out, place and double betting on the totalisator, and a day’s investments on the machine averaged about £30,000 at the main meetings, and up to £45,000 at the July fixture, and from £IO,OOO to £15,000 at the suburban clubs’ fixtures. The percentage taken from investments is 12£. Fractions are given to charities. This provides a large sum each year, as the dividends declared are to the shilling only. They do not pay sixpences or any other fractional dividends. The Government takes 5 of the 123} per cent., deducted from investments, and the balance goes to the clubs for the management and cost of working the totalisator. The minimum wager is 10s. Mr. Chapman added that place and double wagering on the machine is very popular, and he had seen a double dividend of as much as £1,200 for £l. In some instances where the winning double had not been supported, the dividend could be paid to first and second, and then first and third. There is also provision for the paying of second and first and third and first, and. in isolated cases where the placed horses had not been coupled, for the money to be included in the pool at a subsequent meeting. Most of the courses are a mile and a-quarter in circumference, and on some there are straight six events. The programmes include division races and in these events the handicapper not only allots the imposts, but also makes the divisions. Colts are not permitted to compete in lower than the second division, and, owing to the fact that not more than eight races are allowed on any one day, the handicapper is responsible for the rejections if too many nominations are received. When such a contingency arose it is the practice to eliminate the latest entries, and if more than the required number still remained, attention is given to the owner or trainer who makes more than one entrv.