SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1921, Page 3

SPORTING.

RATIONAL RE-HANDICAPPED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, September 5. Rational has been, re-handicapped for the Avondale Flying Handicap to 8.7, GENERAL NOTES. The Auckland Racing Club recently increased the value of its principal races, and at. the Summer meeting the Mitchelson Cup will carry £2OOO against £l4OO last season. The attendance at Longchamps on the occasion of the Grand Prix, in June, was 100,839, and the totalisator turnover 13,450,000 francs. The franc has depreciated since the war, but even placing the value as low as sd, the total stated would represent about £280,000 for the day. A recent N.Z. Referee contained a list of about 935 horses that had won from £4o— sum would be in place money—upwards at galloping meetings in New Zealand last season. Of these 120 had won £lOOO or over, 190 from £lOOO down to £-500, and another 172 from £5OO down to £300.. The 120 which reached the four figures’ mark put together nearly £211,000 between them.

In London last month the Commissioner of Police issued a warning to the public against investing their money in so-called "infallible" betting systems, many of which, during the past few months, were advertised in newspapers, particularly in the South Wales area. The businesses were mainly carried on by persons with temporary addresses in London, says the Commissioner. The public were invited to invest their money in these racing speculations, for which a commission of 5,

10 and sometimes 15 per cent, each week was charged. Many persons had thus invested their money with disastrous results. After a short period of paying the interest they were informed that owing to betting losses payment Is suspended. The promoters then moved from the advertised addresses, and no further payments were made to their clients. It must be admitted that the advertisers discovered a payable betting system, even if their clients did not.

Bookmaking is to be legalised in Germany. Bookmakers' accounts are to be open to inspection, and 10 per cent, of their takings will to the Government. They will have to give a receipt to their clients, and, if they fail to pay, redress may be had in the law courts. I suppose bookmakers will be given the opportunity of getting money from defaulting clients in the same fashion. The Bill to legalise bookmakers ‘makes tbe work of tipsters, apart from those on newspapers, illegal. I would not mind betting that the German sporting writers would have little objection to being barred from indulging in j forecasts, as that is a side of the racing I business that is approached by newspaper j men in fear and trembling, more especially i by those who have been at ic long enough: ‘o know its pitfalls.