PEOPLE WILL BET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 161, 9 July 1926, Page 11

PEOPLE WILL BET.

SOME VIEWS EXPRESSED.

ON PREVALENCE OF GAMBLING.

RACING AND ART UNIONS

The attack upon gambling made by Bishop Sprott in his address to the Wellington Diocesan Synod on Tuesday, in which the doctor dealt with what he considered were the evils of the get-rich-quick spirit mentality being developed, was supported to a j.reat extent by business men and others in Auckland when discussing the position with a pressman.

It was generally agreed by all t!iat the tendency nowa-upys was to foster the spirit of gambling, not intentionally, but by virtue of the action of the Government in granting permission to numerous organi-sat-ons to hold a-t unions. From racing and trotting in the Dominion, thanks to the oi totalieator turnover, the Government reaped a ht-ge sum in a year, and while nobody cou)d be expected to uct so foolishly as to kill the goose that lays the golden egg?, the opinion of business men was that there was sufficient, if not too much, racing in thf Dominion. As one mai put it "except for a few weeks .n the winter, there is hardly a day when races are noi being helt' eomewhere in Xew Zealand."

"And to add to thi~."' he went on, "there is now an epidemic I* art unions sweeping the country. I think * know the working map just as well as ; ivone, and I am certain that Le cannot afford to spend his wages, or any part of them, in art unions or upon races. It i j the hard struggle he has to make ends meet that causes him to give a few shillings a 'flutter' in the hope that he will get a wii and be able to Vuy something which he may be badly in need of, but which he hasn't enough money to secure. It is all very well to say that if a man is able to afford to throw away a pound or two on racin; or art unions, h? should not be prevented from doing so, but I'll $,uaiantee that i> it were possible to make the totalisator. art unions, and even Church bazaars opr?n to only those who could afford to patronise them, racing would not lae 1 six months, and art unions would' not be wor r, .- promoting." Plea for Small Bets. Anothei nia . a worker, sai he liked sport, but considered that iur real evil of gambling lay in the price the public ha l to pay. "When I say gambling, I mean of course racing, because it is always with us, vbile such things as art unions may stop at any moment. We h*ar all about the thousands of pounds put through the tote, but surely you don't think we want to bet to such an extent. Racing and betting must go together, but that is no reason why a racegoer should be compelled, i" he wishes to 'have an interest,' to find £1 or 10/ before he can do so. Once a man gets on the racecourse he naturally must have a bet, but for the life of mc, I cannot gee why he shouk" be made to bet in sums he cannot afford. I, as a man in constant employment, could not afford to bet 10/ or £1 a time, but I ccc men, not nearly so well placed as myself, patronising the tote. It is no use blaming the Government or anyone else' for the gambling which goes on, because nothing will stop people from betting, but if it were possible for the people to bet in half crowns or even 5/, the amount put through the totes would soon show a big shrinkage. It takes weeke to entice £40,000 from the people into an art union, and only after exploiting the whole of the Dominion, but the same amount will be registered on the totalisator in one day at any metropolitan meeting. And the reason is not so much because the public will bet, but because they are compelled to bet 10/ or £1 at a time. I don't say betting is an evil, but if it is, then the first step should be to try and reduce it. As matters are now, people are aeked to bet beyond their means, which can only lead to trouble. It is no use racing clubs saying people should not bet if they cannot afford to do so, because if this came about the racing clubs would soon find themselves in anything but a flourishing condition." State Revenue from Sport. "What's the use of having a tilt at gambling," said a jurinees man. "It's no use protesting to the Government, because the Government get so much money out of sport that there is no chance of anything being done to reduce racing. As a matter of fact, the chances are that more permits will be granted. Why, you have only to see the special trains which run to country meetings. These bring in good monej to the Government. But I do think that art unions should be either knocked on the head or the permite to hold them reduced considerably. We know that thousands of pounds ?o out of the Dominion every ;«ar to a certain consultation, and it is astonishing that a State lottery is not conducted here. All the talk about increasing gambling and its evils gets nowhere—peopk love nothing better than trying to get a rise at the cost of a shilling or two, and, recognising this, the Government should try to offer channels which are within the reach of all, which can be conducted at a n U'jpse."