PERMITTED RAFFLES INCREASE SHARPLY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 10

PERMITTED RAFFLES INCREASE SHARPLY

In the last two years the number of raffles drawn each week under police supervision in Christchurch has more than doubled. Since 1955, the number of raffles requiring police supervision has increased by 300 per cent. The results of 34 raffles, drawn under police supervision, were advertised in ’The Press” last week. Of this number, 24 of the raffles were continuous ones, drawn every week, for prizes of money. In the corresponding week of 1957, the number of raffle results advertised in “The Press" was 14. In 1956 the number for the correpsonding week was 13. and in 1955 the total was nine.

In 1955 there were only two continuous raffles for weekly cash prizes being run in Christchurch and being drawn under police supervision. Legislation Under the Gaming Amendment Act, 1949. a permit from the Internal Affairs Department must be obtained to run a raffle in which the aggregate of prizes exceeds £25 or any one prize is more than £lO.

Any superintendent or inspector of the Police Force can authorise raffles below this limit. “Approved organisations” can also run a series of raffles over a limited period, usually three months, where the prizes in any raffle do not exceed £5. provided the police approve of it. If police approval is refused. the applicants can appeal to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

The police in Christchurch are called on to decide these applications for smaller raffles, with prizes ranging from a cake to a couple of pigs, at the rate of about a score a week.

Although the applicants for permission to run raffles are usually well known to the police, inquiries into the bona fides of new applicants -arc constantly being made. Four forms have to be filled in by each applicant, the police require a copy of the ticket to be used in each raffle or series of raffles; the police must check that the results have been advertised, and in many instances the police require a profit anu loss account from the raffle organisers. “Takes Up Time” "The supervision of approved raffles certainly takes up a considerable amount of time.” said Chief Inspector A. C. J. Rush, of the Christchurch Central Police Station.

In the last year, the police have required applicants to come to the central station and in as many instances as possible have the raffles drawn at the station. A barrel and marbles for prize drawing are kept there for that purpose. However, many raffles, particularly continuous ones, organised by district associations are drawn at suburban police stations. Raffles at present being run in Christchurch and licensed by the Internal Affairs Department are to assist projects ranging from schools not assisted by the State, club building funds, sports associations and former servicemen organisations to parent-teacher associations In the year ended March 31. the Internal Affairs Department licensed 17 art unions, with a prizes aggre-

gate of £170,000. Raffle licences issued covered 7084 raffles, with prizes ranging from £25 to £5OO in goods or cash. 12 Per Cent Rise The total of licensed raffles was 804 higher than the number issued the previous year, an increase of almost 13 per cent.

Thirty-two licences to raffle mystery envelopes were issued by the department last year, but it reports that “while this way of raising funds is capable of raising large sums in one day, there is some evidence, particularly in the Auckland area, that public support is diminishing." The number of "approved organisations” for conducting housie reached 1765 in New Zealand by March 31, 1073 organisations being approved during the year. The departmental report comments that some of the "approved organisations” in the early stages of licensing of housie found that the financial return was not worth the effort. "In spite of this, there is no doubt that, on the whole, the legalising of this game has helped many organisations to augment their funds.”