10% Rise In Off-Course Betting

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29872, 12 July 1962, Page 4

10% Rise In OffCourse Betting

"Ths Pre**" S’pectai Service

WANGANUI, July 11. Off-course betting at trotting meetings this season amounted to £6,902,294, an increase of about £685,000, representing 10.1 per cent., over the figures for the previous year, said the president (Mr W. H. Roche) in his address to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference in Wanganui today.

The combined off-course turnover this year was expected to be about £28.400.000, which represented an increase of about £460,000, or 1.6 per cent, over the 1960-61 total, added Mr Roche.

Turnover at night trotting meetings this season had reached £3,682313,- an increase over the previous year’s figures of £502,232, or 15.8 per cent. During the year ended July 31, 1958. the Totalisator Agency Board's turnover had amounted to £22.839.334, of which £3,774,775, or 16.5 per cent., had been invested on trotting meetings.

Trotting meetings had handled £3,881,884, or 16.8 per cent., of the £21.996,392 handled by the board in the year ended July 31, 1959. Turnover for the year ended July 31, 1960, amounted to £4,465.498. or 18.3 per cent, of £24,429.915, while the following year it had reached £6,266.939, or 22.4 per cent, of £27.935.336. Refunds on scratchings at trotting meetings had amounted to £96.631. That represented 1.4 per cent, of the gross trotting turnover and compared favourably with 1.8 per cent, the previous year, added Mr Roche. Other points from Mr Roche's address were:— Unruly Horses The incoming executive in. tended instructing all starters and stipendiary stewards that firmer action must be taken against breaking and unjuly horses, said Mr Roche. He doubted whether trotting would ever be rid of that problem and it seemed unlikely that mobile starting would completely remove it. The action of a horse breaking at the start of a race did not necessarily prevent it-from winning. Highland Fling, which seldom started correctly, had still been able to beat the other leading horses of his day, added Mr Roche. Night Trotting Adequate totalizator and seating facilities were necessary if these clubs racing at night were to maintain the interest and enthusiasm of the public. With increased attendances, patrons had to be adequately provided for. Clubs had to show the public that they were wanted and when they got them to their courses, they had to! look after them, said Mr Roche. There could be no doubt now of the success of night trotting and the committees of those clubs which now| raced permanently under lights were to be congratulated on the progress they had made. Apprenticeship It was his intention to investigate the possibility of introducing a form of apprenticeship whereby it would be made more attractive to young men to enter stables to be taught the rudiments of training and horsemanship and at the same time give encouragement to owners and trainers to make more use of their services, said Mr Roche. During his visits to meetings throughout the country it had been increasingly apparent that there were a whose ability wa* not meetling the response it deserved

from owners and trainers, be said. Taxation The full Impact of taxation was reflected by the fact that while the Government had received £1.329,106. or 9,7 per cent, of the to’.altsamr turnover, clubs last year had struggled to produce a combined profit of £86.854, or .4 per cent, of the total turnover. said Mr Roche During the season just ended clubs had paid totalisator tax amounting to £675.552. dividend tax amounted to £605.198. stake tax amounting to £5093. amusement tax amounting to £17.530. income tax amounting to £23.939. and land tax amounting to £1709.