BETTING BAN ON ISLAND

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 15

BETTING BAN ON ISLAND

Children selling schoolbooks

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) COLOMBO, July 21.

Hundreds of bookmakers and casinos in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) put their shutters up yesterday as police prepared to enforce the Government’s decision to order the immediate closing of all betting and gaming places. Racing sheets published illegally by bookmakers appeared as usual in spite of the order. One of the main reasons for the restriction was that schoolchildren were taking to gambling in a big way, an official said. There had been reports of schoolchildren selling their schoolbooks to bet on horses.

As the law stands now any person can place a taxed bet on a racehorse—but the only place where taxed bets can be accepted -on horse racing is the Ceylon Turf Club, which is virtually out of business.

The 1964 ban on the publication of racing news and on the import of racehorses put an end to horse-racing. Only untaxed bets, which are illegal, are accepted by bookmakers, who began flourishing with the end of racing. $5.6m in taxes They had a fillip last year when the Finance Minister (Dr Perera) decided to collect a turnover tax from them. Their business began to mushroom as police were asked to turn a blind eye. Dr Perera estimated that he could collect 400 m rupees (about ss6m) a year from bookmakers who employ an estimated 30,000 people and also provide the Government with about 12m rupees a year on telex and telephone charges.