THE TOTALISATOR

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 999, 16 June 1930, Page 12

THE TOTALISATOR

BENEFIT TO RACING AN INTERESTING RESUME The following interesting article upon the totalizator and its benefits to racing has been written by the wellknown handicapper, Mr. J. E. Henrys: Now that the totalisator is established in England, owners and trainers will soon learn with the greatest satisfaction how helpful it will be to racing. The racing clubs will be able to ; reduce the excessive charges for entrance and heavy sweepstake money , . an be decreased or done away with altogether. As soon as the totalisator becomes popular with the racing public, a very large increase in stakes can be confidently expected. The totalisator was first used in New Zealand in 1880, over 50 years ago. but it was not until 1889 that it was legalised by the New Zealand Government. It was decided to deduct 10 per cent, from the grand total on the machine, ~f which sum the racing clubs received 7* per cent, and the Government the remaining 2* per cent. After the Great War the Government decided upon a further war tax of 5 per cent., which amount was taken from the public who were fortunate to back the winners. The percentage taken from the totalizator to meet the requirements of the Government for taxation purposes is, in the opinion of many people, rather excessive, but the public has to pay. The racing clubs still retain their 75 per cent., the amount fixed when the totalisator was first legalised. Increased Stakes To give some idea of the great boon the totalisator has been to racing and trotting clubs in New Zealand, 1 will now submit a comparative table showing the phenomenal increase in totalizator investments, and the great increase in stake money between the seasons 1804-95 and 1919-20, a period of 25 years, from the four principal racing clubs and the leading trotting club in New Zealand. The figures show the totalisator increase for these five clubs as £2,858.987 10s, and the increase in stakes as £145,590. The figures are as follow: Season 1894-95 Xo. Total'r Stakes of Invest. Given.

Total 50 3,091,479 178,365 Total Increases. Stakes £145,590 Totalisator investments £2,858,9875 The Auckland Racing Club (city population about 150.000) holds the record for New Zealand in stake money’ for 12 months, and for totalisator turnover for one day. In the racing season 1921-22 the stakes for the Auckland Racing Club amounted to the large sum of £73,550. as against the small sum of £2,250 in 1879-80, while the largest sum invested in the totalisator for one day was in the year 1920, the amount being £154,188 10s. The Lancaster Park Trotting Club, now known as the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, in the month of August, 1890, gave a stake of only £4O for its most important event. To prove what amazing progress trotting has made, thanks entirely to the profits from the totalisator, the New Zealand Trotting Cup Handicap was worth 4,000 sovs. last November. The cost to an owner for entrance fees for this valuable stake was only 28 SOVS. At Small Cost To start a horse in the Auckland Racing Club’s Cup of 3.000 sovs. costs an owner only 21 sovs. The small charges made to owners for nomination and acceptance fees, as quoted for the Auckland Cup and the New Zealand Trotting Cup, go to prove what n great benefit financially the totalizator will be to owners in England when the machine is on a sound footing. The population of New Zealand in 1920-21 was little more than one million and a quarter, and the totalisator turnover for that racing season of 12 months amounted to the enormous sum of £10,121,212. The share falling to the racing and trotting clubs enabled them to give the substantial sum of £653,255 in stakes during the ensuing racing season of 1921-22. Taking a line from the .above figures I confidently predict that the increased stakes in England will, in a few years, surprise the greatest optimist. New Zealand Racing Conference The sport of horse racing in New Zealand has been extremely fortunate in having the New Zealand Racing Conference to govern the Turf, a body which has comprised many of the Dominion’s most learned and honourable men. In the first years of its existence, the late Hon. Sir William Russell proved himself an excellent and able president. During the last 34 years Sir George Clifford (who passed away recently) was the guiding genius of the sport in New Zealand, and I can honestly claim, without fear of contradiction, that no man in the world has devoted more of his valuable time entirely for the love of sport or done more to keep horseracing clean and honourable. The New Zealand racing world owes much to Sir George Clifford. He leaves a name that will be honoured and respected for all time. Thanks to the executives and rulers of the Turf. New Zealand is probably the only country in the world that can claim to be free from proprietary interests. What I mean by that is, that all profits from the totalisator, in ao- < ordance with the Rules of Racing, have to be distributed in stakes during the ensuing season. Grandstands and iate admission moneys; nomination, and entrance fees; and members’ subscriptions are all expended in general Improvements. Herein lies the reason of our glorious country being able to give most lib- • ral stakes at a smaller cost to owners than, probably, in any other coun-

try in the world, judged on a population basis.

The best arguments in favour of the totalisator are as follow: You are not invited to bet; you do so at your own free will. You are certain of a start for your money.

If successful, you are not urged to reinvest your winnings. You must have the cash; the totalisator does not give credit.

The totalisator does not pay owners to scratch their horses.

The totalisator has no agents to arrange with owners, trainers and jockeys for horses to be raced dishonestly. 71 The New Zealand Racing Conference employs stipendiary stewards to attend all race meetings. Their duties are to see that the sport is cleanly conducted in every sense. Racecourse inspectors are also paid a good salary to see that undesirable persons, such as criminals and pickpockets, do not gain admission to any part of the racecourse grounds. I mention the above facts to prove that the racing authorities in New Zealand do everything possible to protect the general public who attend race meetings. Most of the racecourses are provided with well equipped grandstands, which enable the public to view the races from start to finish, at a very small charge—from 2s upward. The maximum cost for all privileges on any of the leading racecourses in New Zealand does not exceed 12s 6d. The record dividend paid out on the totalisator in New Zealand was at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s New Zealand Cup meeting in 1907, the amount being over £2,000. Only £1 was invested on the winning double combination, Star Rose (New Zealand Cup) and Captain Shannon (Stewards’ Handicap). The next best dividend, was paid at the Nelson Jockey Club’s meeting in 1920, in a trotting event, which was won by Wairoa JBelle. There was only one ticket on the winner, and the lucky investor received more than £I,OOO. Alter attending many race meetings in England, America, and France in the year 1927, 1 can fairly claim that the conduct and management of racing in New Zealand are quite as good as in these countries. The soundest and best argument in favour of the totalisator is to quote the £729,000 given in stakes by the clubs in Great Britain, with a population of about 40,000,000 people, in 1929, as against the record of New Zealand, with a little more than 1,000,000 population which gave £653,285 in stakes in the racing season 1921-22. The total amount of stakes given by England in 1929, as compared with New Zealand’s total, should satisfy all unbiased racing men what a great boon the totalisator will be to Great Britain, if the working of the machine is ably and properly conducted. Owners will have valuable stakes to race for, at a cost of about 1 per cent., while the general public will be provided with excellent appointments and every convenience, and better facilities for viewing the races, at a small cost. My knowledge is derived from years of practical experience as official handicapper to many racing clubs in New Zealand.

Name of Club. days. £ 63,911 £ 11,370 Jockey Club 8 65,534 S.530 Racing Club .. 11 7,190 Jockey Club 9 51,0725 US, 116 4,035 Racing Club . N'.Z. Metropolitan 6 11,858 1,650 Trotting Club . 4 Total S3 232,491} 32,775 Season 1919 Name of Club. N ;?- days. TotalT Invest. 54,325 Racing Club 12 1,052,145} Canterbury Jockey Club 11 623,9735 44,140 Wellington Racing Club 9 613,llSi 31,200 25,000 Jockey Club N.Z. Metropolitan 9 301,673 23,700 Trotting Club .. 9 500.56S1