“GILBERTIAN” GAMING ACT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1053, 18 August 1930, Page 10

“GILBERTIAN” GAMING ACT

“ARBITRARY, UNREASONABLE. AND LUDICROUS” BOOKMAKERS BENEFIT

The proposed increase in the totahsator tax will tend to augment the enormous volume of illegal betting which is carried on with bookmakers throughout New Zealand, is the opinion of the Hon. E W. Alison, as expressed in his address to members of the Takapuna Jockey Club this morning. “The public generally," said the president, "has little conception of the magnitude of investments made with bookmakers throughout Xew Zealand. As you all know, bookmaking is illegal, and betting with a bookmaker is also illegal. But the law is openly defied both by the .bookmaking fraternity, and by n large proportion of racing people. The reason why the bookmaker flourishes and the racing public defies the law, is because of the existing inconsistent and absurd ‘Gilbertian Gaming Act' which provides that the totalisator is the only instrument on which racing investments can legally bo made. It also provides .that the use of a double totalisator, the transmission of money bv telegraph and the publication of dividends are’ prohibited. The result is, that persons desirous of making investments, being prohibited from telegraphing investments to the course, fall back upon the bookmakers. Then, again, many a racegoer desires to take a ‘double,' but the law precludes the use of the •double' machine, so the would-be investor, again falls back upon the bookmaker who supplies a ‘double’ quotation chart, and thus ‘doubles’ are taken in thosands by sporting people (otherwise law-abiding) who flout the law because they consider it .arbitrary, unreasonable and ludicrous, "so that a disrespect for the law, and a defiance of its administration, is created. FAIR RUN FOR BILL

“Then, again, it is illegal for the Press to publish dividends. Thousands of people attend a race meeting- the dividends are openly displayed to them, hut publication by the Press is banned, and again the bookmaker is fallen back upon, and supplies the information to those who have invested with them or any other inquirers. “An amending Gaming Bill has been introduced by Mr. K. S. Williams, and it is hoped that the existing law’ will be so amended «that the ban upon the telegraphing of money to the totnlisatQr, the use by clubs of the ‘double’ totalisator. and the publication of dividends, will be removed.

“The Prime Minister recently expressed himself as being in favour of money being telegraphed to the totalisator, and told a deputation which waited on him that he would give the new Gaming Bill a fair run, and the Hon. de la Ferrelle, Minister of Internal Affairs, Indicated he also favoured the passing of the Bill this session, ‘as the Bill,’ he said, ‘aims at considerably increasing the totalisator revenue by directing investments from illegal channels, so that it can hardly be said that the Government is unsympathetic.* ”