REFERENDUM ON BETTING SYSTEMS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22109, 3 June 1937, Page 8

REFERENDUM ON BETTING SYSTEMS

TO THE EDITOR OE THE PRESS. Sir, —Since sending you my letters. May 23 and 28, about your recent ballot on racing systems. I have been looking through some figures I have gathered over a large number of galloping and trotting meetings, and, in order to prove to your readers and to the sporting public generally that I am well informed on the relative merits of the win and place system and the 75-25 single pool system, I send you a short comparative table, which those who are fond of statistics can test out for themselves on their own lists of selected horses, either trots, gallops, or both combined, according to the student’s fancy. My figures are based strictly on horses picked by recent placed form, and, as that is a very' popular way to select winners, I am sure my figures are a good average sample of punting, hence very convincing. Total selections, 1369; first, 269; second, 216; third, 178. This gives a result of 35.4 per cent, of dividends on 75-25 system, and 48.4 per cent, placed. The basis for my estimate is average dividends to £1 of £5 10s first and £1 13s 4d placed, under the win and place plan, and £4 2s 6d to £1 first and £1 12s 6d second under the 75-25 single pool method. I believe these average prices are reliable in all cases where a truly representative number of dividends is considered. Using a level betting unit of, say, one point, results are as follows: WIN AND PLACE 1369 x 2—2738 units, being amount invested: 269 x 51—1480 units, being amount

from first to win; 663 x 2 1-6 —1436 units, being amount from three placed—(269 plus 216 plus 1781—2916 units, being total amount won. Gain: 178 units, being 6.5 per cent, on capital. SINGLE POOL, 75-25 PER CENT. Money invested, 1369 units. Won from firsts. 269 x 44—1109 units; won from seconds, 216 x 1g—351 units. Total amount won, 1460 units. Gain: 91 units, being 6.65 per cent, on capital. The difference between the two systems, 0.15 per cent., is so infinitesimally small as to be almost negligible; but I prefer single pool because it needs less capital to work it. Those of your readers who care to pursue the comparison further may do so by compiling similar tables relating to single pool, 70-20-10, or 65-20-15, or the Forbury system, so zealously sponsored by Mr J. M. Samson in the Dunedin press last January, but apparently not much in vogue with other clubs. This is a twopool scheme, the win machine being 75-25 Identical with the original method, and the place pool being the usual 33 1-3 per cent, to each horse, as under win and place. I maintain (as I did in my letters in January 11 and 16 issues of the “Otago Daily Times”) that the only thing really important, from the average investor’s standpoint, is to reduce greatly the rate of taxation and increase greatly the facilities for convenient, easy investment. My seven-point programme, as defined in your issue of May 25, is formulated to meet the pressing need of the Investors, giving them a lot more sport on much better terms. 1 trust efforts will never cease on their part until their demands are granted in full, and hope that will occur soon.— Yours, etc., W. S. DUNKERTON. Dunedin, June 1, 1937.