AGENCY BETTING

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26870, 24 October 1952, Page 6

AGENCY BETTING

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT TO BOARD BOOKMAKING FIGURES COMPARED (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 23. “Totalisator Agency Board investments are still well under half the amount put -through by illegal bookmakers in 1946 as estimated in Royal Gaming Commission evidence by members of the bookmakers’ organisation, who said the Sportsmen’s Association put through £24,000,000 a year in bets.” This statement was made by the board’s chairman (Mr A. L. Matson), at its annual meeting today, when he said the board’s turnover now was £200,000 a week, and that in the two'months of August and September, net turnover was £1.616,800. For the year ended July 31, 1952, the net turnover was £3,560,187, and totalisator and dividend tax paid to the Government on these investments totalled £333,000.

Replying to suggestions that the drop in totalisator betting on the course was caused by the operations of the board, Mr Matson said that in his opinion, the fall was a reflection of business conditions. He noted that there had been a progressive increase in the board’s turnover with the opening of new branches and agencies. The year’s working had resulted in a net profit of £26,794, and he thought that this achievement on the first true year of operations, and primarily in the last three months of the year, augured well for the board.

The board had resolved to distribute all profits to racing and trotting clubs, he added.

The profit would be distributed on the basis of totalisator turnover of clubs on or off the course, and this would be made on the basis of average turnovers on the course for the two years ended July 31, as operations this year had not embraced all meetings.

Transfer of Doubles Bets The procedure of transferring doubles investments from the winner of the “first leg’’ from scratched horses to the favourite in the “second leg” had resulted in £15,787 being transferred. This returned £86,076 in dividends, and of the 234 doubles affected, 49 substitutes won, or more than one in five. “Investors with the board are not in a position as favourable as those on the course to learn what horses are starting, and what are scratched,” Mr Matson continued. “The board is making every endeavour to get up-to-the-minute information on scratchings.

“During the year, there has been criticism that the board has not notified its branches and agencies of scratchings that have been mentioned in. the newspapers, but it must be emphasised that the board can only act on official advice from club secretaries. “The board regards early notification of of prime importance, because the investor is entitled to this knowledge and the board loses by having to handle and refund thousands of pounds a week.” Mr Matson praised the Post and Telegraph Department for the speedy and accurate transmission of offcourse totals.

Growth of Operations The board now had a full-time staff of 150 at head office and branches. A year ago it had three branches; it now had 21. Mr Matson added that a year ago the board had three agencies, and now had 124, and planned within the next few months to open branches at 10 provincial towns, including Westport. The opening of agencies was proceeding as fast as telephones be-

came available. The recording, transmitting, and totalling of investments was a complex task, said Mr Matson. In one week, the board, now accepting bets on every racing and trotting meeting in NewZealand, issued roughly 350,000 tickets. On the basis of 24 horses a race, this required 48 totals for win and place bets, and with eight races a meeting, plus the doubles, this involved 432

totals, or. with nine separate meetin ffs, as many as 3888 separate totals. All these totals had to be found in each branch and agency and sent op to head office for collating and transmission to the respective totalisators.-