Big Drop In Holiday Race Betting

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29716, 9 January 1962, Page 10

Big Drop In Holiday Race Betting

Racing and trotting followers put £5,790,399 through totalisator and T.A.B. windows at holiday meetings in New Zealand. It was betting on a heavy scale, but more than a quarter of a million below last year.

Investments on 18 galloping meetings amounted to £4,346,407 10s. Betting on 10 trotting meetings accounted for £1,443,991 15s.

Galloping clubs were most affected in betting decreases; only three of the 18 clubs concerned enjoyed all-over increases. On the other hand five of the nine trotting clubs had higher turnovers, and all these were at South Island meetings. None of the South Island galloping clubs managed to show an increase on holiday turnovers of a year earlier. Galloping clubs which recorded increases were Manawatu, Taranaki, and Wairarapa. But the Auckland Racing Club, with a turnover of £1,575,567 5s dropped by £88,270 15s. On a ratio of variation to

turnover the Dunedin Jockey Club fared much worse than Auckland. Figures for the Dunedin Cup meeting were £42,012 5s below those of last year when the figure was £205,924 ss. Off-Course Support Manawatu owed an increase of £16.945 5s entirely to support from off-course investors. On-course betting dropped from £304.237 10s to £285.270 10s, but T.A.B. off-course betting rose from £318,075 5s to £353.987 10s. Taranaki and Wairarapa were also down on-course, but these clubs were saved by increases in off-course turnovers. On-eourse betting on the

two-day Canterbury Park meeting at Addington dropped by £963, but heavy off-course support gave the club an allover increase of £23,375 ss. The Reefton Trotting Club had an increase of £ 15.708 on its one-day meeting. Unlike last year, it raced on a day when it had the off-course betting system to itself. Following are the combined on and off-course turnovers on the holiday meetings, figures in the second line showing how they compared with last year:—

GALLOPING Club Turnover £ Var’n. £ Auckland .. 1.575,5674 —88.2702 Manawatu 639.258 4-16,9454 Taranaki .. 137.835 + 6,190 Waipa 174.338 — 1,684} Dunedin .. 163,912 —42,0124 Rotorua 140.5154 —35,899} S. Cant. 183.095? —31.769 Wynd'm. .. 53,076? 257.6794 8,796? + 16.317? Wairaraoa H. Bay .. 244,8704 —16,904 Stratford .. 153.4054 — 2.1804 Waikouaiti 54,0294 — 6,8064 Marton 98,2484 — 8,5194 Oamaru 43.325} —12,2644 Southl’d. .. 124.182 —21.369? Thames 119.995? —34,4544 Kurow 35.382 —14,3124 Pahiatua .. 147,6914 —10,291 Total .. 4.346,4074 —296,153} TROTTING Turnover Club £ Var’n. £ Auckland .. 576,259? — 6,316 Cant. Pk. 288.2224 +23,3754 Greymth. .. 108.9264 —17,207? Winton 52,9761 + 3,317} Ashburt. .. 120,281? + 7.650} Gore 48,499 — 1,297 Reefton 51,150} + 15.708 Cambridge 69.554? + 4.343} Westpor t .. 62.5894 — 3,989} Incer’gill. .. 65.531?’ new date Total .. 1.443.991J +25.584}