BETTING OFF THE COURSE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25160, 16 April 1947, Page 6

BETTING OFF THE COURSE

PROPOSAL PUT TO COMMISSION

RETURNS FOR WINNERS AND LOSERS

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, April 15. “It seems to be true that people wifi bet and that in the long run they lose. The very deep-rooted objection to licensing bookmakers in New Zealand would appear to be that the business is too one-sided—an envy of the reputed large bookmaking profits in addition to a feeling of annoyance that few should flourish on the weakness of many.”

With this introduction, a proposal to replace the present under-cover bookmaker system in New Zealand by a system of off-course betting in booths attached to post offices operated either by the State or the present totalisator companies, was submitted to the Gaming Commission to-day by Mr J. L. Brady. His scheme was that people at these booths should bet in cash as is done now with bookmakers and for winning bets they should receive totalisator odds within the same limits of £2O for a win and £5 for a place for gallops and £8 and £3 respectively for trots.

Betting booth profits, he said, should be put in a national pool, and at the end of each year what remained Sf the pool after the deduction of expenses and State tax should be distributed, to the losers on the face value of the tickets saved and presented for this purpose. Mr Brady contended that the interest in racing was largely due to the prominence given it in the newspapers.