Bid to beat totalisator by printing tickets

Press, 24 February 1978, Page 2

Bid to beat totalisator by printing tickets

A man who attempted to defraud the totalisator at the Addington Raceway earlier this month stood to gain “a considerable amount” if he had got away with it, said Sergeant R. H. Prouting in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Donald George Lawson, aged 51, appeared on four charges relating to fraud involving printing his own tote tickets. He pleaded guilty. Three of the charges related to his attempt fraudulently to use totalisator tickets for the fourth race at Addington on February 10. Another charge said that with intent to defraud he had 155 Addington Raceway tickets for six races at the same meeting.

The Magistrate convicted Lawson and remanded him to March 2 for a probation report and sentence. Sergeant Prouting said the defendant was employed as a mechanic by Automatic Totalisators, Ltd, and was responsible for the machinery which printed the tote tickets for meetings at Addington Raceway. On the day in question he went into the totalisator building, which at the time was unattended. There he obtained stereotypes with which he printed tickets for that night’s meeting. He covered all the horses for a win and a place, and all the tickets were for $lO bets. When after the fourth 'race — from which he stood

to gain $77 — he went to the payout window, he was questioned about where he had obtained the tickets, however. It was revealed then that he had a further 152 tote tickets in his possession. Sergeant Prouting said the method employed by Lawson was well planned and executed, and that he stood to make a considerable amount had he been successful. Lawson could offer no real explanation for his actions, said the sergeant. Counsel (Mr S. G. Erber) sought a continuance of the interim suppression of name for the sake of the defendant’s children, but the Magistrate said he was not prepared to do so.