BOOKIES AND BETTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 309, 30 December 1924, Page 4

BOOKIES AND BETTING.

WHY THEY FLOURISH. DEFIANCE OF THE LAW. BIG JIEX PLAY SAFE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON , , this day In the course of the past year'tho provisions of the Gaming Act have been rigorously enforced by the police, and many bookmaker-: who had been carrying on in a fairly big way cf business have been brought before the Court at different times and heavily fined. This very pronounced activity "by the law in. regard to the "layer of odds"'" was to-day commented on by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. A. H. Wright, who made some interesting observations on tho question of bookmakers and the Act.

The police, remarked the Commissioner, were always ready to prosecute when evidence was available, but there was always great difficulty in "fitting" ■suspected persons. It was always a task in a case in which a man was charged with carrying on business as a bookmaker to find witnesses willing and competent to give evidence on behalf of the Crown. Often the police had to fight against public feeling. Everyone knew that, despite the law, there were many bookmakers carrying on business in quite an extensive manner, and it was almost futile to talk about suppression of the bookmaker. Hen would bet on almost anything, and, where there were men there would certainly be bookmakers.

On many occasions the police have been adversely criticised for not taking proceedings against that class of bookmaker generally known as "the big man,' 1 and current gossip has often insinuated that there was more in this than met the eye. On this point, the Commissioner had something definite to say. "It is all very well to say "catch them,'" he laughingly remarked, "but the point is that they generally refuse to be caught. Efforts have been made time and again to obtain evidence against some of the big firms, but their methods ere usually too business like. They won't be caught. What's the use of sending along a policeman, or anyone else for that matter, to make a bet with one of the big bookmakers in this town. He'd simply profess his ignorance as to what the would-be client was talking about, and we would still be no further towards bringing him to Court. Of Course," said the Commissioner, "by prosecuting as many as possible of the smaller bookmakers, one could be always sure of catching several men who were acting in the capacity of a«ents for big firms, but the principals could not in any circumstances be persuaded to make bets with anyone outside of their recognised clients, and all risk with newly acquired and "doubtful' custom was taken by agents. The bu* men who were at the head of operations merely sat back in safety, and drew the money which was forthcoming from the activities of their agents."