Racing and Gaming

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 65, 17 March 1945, Page 18

Racing and Gaming

. . ... ■■- r —*- ■—-— ;:;,-,:£^| In a letter to the Racing Eidi'ttir of the Sports Edition, "Common Sense" writes:— "Dear Sir, "The confidence expressed at New Plymouth by Mr. H. R. Chalmers, president of the New Zealand Racing Conference, in the ability of racing clubs to handle all off-course bettTng "is not borne out by the rush ana long queues at the ; totalisator-ticket-windows and the delays at pay-but windows. " In any case, why should racing clubs wish to handle offcourse betting? There can be. only one reason—for their own private gain. Off-course betting can be handled in a far more effective manner than, is as suggested, by racing clubs acting as bookmakers—an act which they condemn in others. "Mr. Chalmers' belief that big bettors could be accommodated by telegraph shows a surprising lack of knowledge of the mentality of the big bettor, who rarely will be a party to diminishing his dividend by investing on the totalisator. . In the case of the small bettor, however, Mr. Chalmers says he can be better accommodated away from the totalisator and, strange to say, in spite of all the Racing Conference's past condemnation of bookmakers, he is prepared to condone bookmaking so long as the clubs themselves do the pencilling. I have a fairly strong imagination and knowledge of off-course betting, one which far exceeds that of Mr. Chalmers, but I cannot possibly stretch it to visualise any Holding Company coping with off-course betting. What Mr. Chalmers actually suggests is the creation of a monopoly giving racing clubs the right, not to make a book, but to actually gamble on off-course betting. "In the matter of the distribution of profits, I notice that racing clubs are first mentioned for participation, but Mr. Chalmers does not say from what source any losses shall be met. He entirely overlooks the unknown liability incurred in making wagers at totalisator odds, which he suggests clubs should do. Further, speaking of profits, I would like to call attention to the nice amount per annum retained by the clubs in the shape of totalisator fractions. This money reaiiy belongs to the public, and if Mr. Chalmers is interested in deserving charities may I suggest that the sum accruing from these fractions is donated to charity. "As regards the double totalisator, I cannot see clubs tying money up until two events are run. If one wishes to back a double on the course, all one has to do is to invest on the first leg, and, if successful, reinvest all the dividend on the second leg. I cannot see the wisdom in creating another machine to tie money up and compete with those already in existence. "In conclusion, may I again assert that off-course betting can be best handled by licensed off-course bookmakers, from whom revenue could be obtained for the benefit of the whole-country- and not- just-for--any isolated favoured-bodies." ' "