GAMING LAW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1938, Page 4

GAMING LAW

SEVERAL AMENDMENTS URGED. TELEGRAPHING OF BETS. The telegraphing of bets to the totalisator, the publication of dividends and the legalisation of the doubles totalisator were favoured by the members of the Masterton Racing Club last night, when a resolution was passed, in line with one adopted by the Feilding 4 ““* Jockey Club recently, urging the Minister to favourably consider these changes in the Gaming Act. Mr J. A. Betts, who brought the matter before the meeting, said he had noticed that the Feilding Club, at its annual meeting, had passed a resolution that representations should be made to the Minister to allow bets to the totalisator to be telegraphed. It was known that this Government was looking for all forms of revenue and if bets were telegraphed it would be a means of assisting the totalisator revenue and also the postal revenue. He suggested that the Masterton Club should support the Feilding Club’s move. The position at present was ridiculous, he said. The bookmaker had his books audited by the Government and paid his taxes and then the next day detectives came along and he was fined £lOO or so for carrying on that business. Either the bookmaker should be licensed or closed up altogether. Under present conditions, he said, the Government were a party to a crime. Mr J. Jameson pointed out that the resolution passed by the Feilding Club related not only to the telegraphing of bets, but also to the publication of dividends and the legalisation of the doubles totalisator. He presumed it was intended to support the whole motion. It seemed to be only a waste of time trying to stamp out the bookmaker. “In my opinion,” said Mr J. Macfarlane Laing, “the whole of the Gaming Act wants to be revised entirely.” Bookmakers, he said, should be licenced and a substantial fee imposed. Part of these fees could be used to help country clubs in need of financial assistance.