EXIT THE BOOKMAKER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 227, 31 January 1911, Page 3

EXIT THE BOOKMAKER

FINAL PUBLIC APPEARANCE. IHE NEW GAMING ACT. The bookmaker will cease to have legal status in New Zealand after today, 31st inst, for on that.day the amendments to the Gaming Act which are designed to kill him, professionally speaking, will come into force (says the Auckland Herald). Thus will pass a picturesque feature of the racecourse, for the gentlemen with the bag, the pencil, the strong lungs, and the invincible urbanity will be no more. Many believe the bookmaker will still ply his trade, and that a large one, on the streets, but at any rate he will lose his picturesqueness. He will no longer bear distinguishing marks, for he will endeavor to make himself indistinguishable from the common mass. Herein lies his safety. No doubt a good many of the fraternity will go to Australia, where the "profession" is still generally recognised. It will be remembered that the Gam-, ing Act Amendment had an exciting passage last session. After the measure had gone through the Legislative Council there was a fear that the amendments did not absolutely prohibit the bookmaker from plying his culling on a racecourse, and a conference of both Chambers was held, with a view to making this prohibition quite clear. Under the new Act, every person who frequents, loiters, or is in any street for the purpose of betting is guilty of an offence, and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not less than £2O ana not exceeding £IOO for the first offence, and to a like fine or to imprisonment not exceeding three months for a second or subsequent offence. Similar penalties are provided to meet the ease of a bookmaker betting on any street, licensed premises, racecourse, or public place. It is laid down that every racing club must use all reasonable and lawful means of preventing bookmakers plying their calling on the racecourses. The penalty for negligence in this connection is the cancellation for one year of the totalisator license of the club concerned. Investments on the totalisator will, in future, only be received in cash, bank notes, oi cheque before or at the time of the investments. No investment is to be taken from any person under 21 years of age,| and a penalty of £SO is threatened] against anyone falsely representing himself to be that age in order to place] money on the machine, |

After July 31 next the aggregate number of days in the year on which the totalisator is to be used is not to exceed 250, and the Governor has appointed a Commission to allot the permits.