BREACH OF THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES ACT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2865, 22 November 1890, Page 2

BREACH OF THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES ACT.

At the Police Court, Hamilton, yesterday, before Messrs Graham and Knox, J.P.s, Alex. Schultze, landlord of the Royal Hotel, Hamilton, was charged, on the information of the police, with having held a lottery in his hotel on the Sth November, of a brooch and ear-rings, the same being conducted with dice. The charge was laid under Section 18 of thi Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1881. The defendant pleaded guilty, and asked the Bench to take a lenient view of the case, as he did not get the lottery up ; also that when the originators came to him to allow the lottery to take place in his hotel he was not in favour of it, but allowed it on account of the object for which it \va» got up, viz , to provide tunds for a party who was going away ; and also that he did not know that if permission were had from the Colonial Treasurer that the lottery could havo been carried on.— Constable .Murray said the offence wiib not a very serious one, but it was one which could be abused. He said that tha polico could not always find these things out, and that when they did it was hard to get information. He would not press for a heavy tine.—The Bench read section IS of the Act which referred to tho lottery, and said that according to the Act this was a very serious olfonce. aiid there would be no good of the police bringing up the case if the law were not to be carried out. The Bench said that ouly in this case would they take into consideration the ignorance of the law on tho part of Mr Schultze, and they thought that copies of this Act should be kept by all hotelkeepers and carefully studied. The fine would be the smallest this time, viz., £5, and costs 7s, but if another case came before them the tine would be the highest allowed, viz. £200.