THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1913. BETTING ON FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 1 May 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1913. BETTING ON FOOTBALL.

Bettiwg on athletic sports is, fortunately, not very common in New Zealand. Isolated cases have been- reported where the evil has made its appearance; but sport has not yet been permeated with gambling, as it is in older countries. It would appear that in England betting has become very, common on games of football. A contributor to the "Spectator," under the heading . of "The Football iFungus," gives a detailed account of the gambling on the Association game. He Says that some years ago ther e sprang up among junior teams in the North a system called "making a hook." A boy would head the page of a notebook "Liverpool v. Sunderland," and rule lines below for entries providing for wins for either side iby various margins. A penny a share was the usual charge. If fifteen Shares were issued the winner got a shilling, and the promoter kept threepence but if the result of the match was not forecasted the promoter kept the whole Is 3d. This form of gambling spread rapidly among boys, but it has' been largely superseded by what is Jcnown as the coupon system. •One may bet on as many as nine matches at once, and the mare tinlikely are the results forecasted, the more attractive are the odds. Coupons are printed in large numbers ajid handed practically ' to anybody who will act as agent. This agent may distribute them among his fellow-em-ployees, or deliver them at. several factories, or take up a stand at a street corner. Hie coupon is delivered to the client on Thursday, amd returned filled in, -with the stake, not

later than half-past two on Saturday afternoon. The writer says that the main subject of convvrsation among artisans in some diytric-ts from Thursday to Saturday night is football, but "haixlly ever during the conversation is real play so much talked of a„s is the likelihood of a man being able to win so much if he backs such and such teams."- Further,.men may sometimes bo seen among the crowd at u match getting up threepenny sweepstakes as to ivliat player will score the first goal. The promoter takes a share, and if there is no score, the whole of the money. A goal scored, he promptly gets up another stveepscakt> on the next goal, and so on. The writer considers the vogue of this gambling not only very harmful to the gamblers, but fraught ivith great danger to the game, which may in consequence fall into the disrepute in which professional running lies.