Grocer-shop bookies plan

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 24

Grocer-shop bookies plan

NZPA Brisbane The Queensland T.A.B. may offer punters grocershop bookies and telephone concessions to help reduce illegal start-price betting operations which cost the T.A.B. more than an estimated $2OO million annually. The state’s Racing Minister, Russ Hinze, has returned from a three-day fact-finding visit to Perth, where he gathered information on improving T.A.B. services to combat S.P. betting. Racing circles .said the grocer-shop bookie scheme would be introduced in Western Australia before the end of the year, and was one plan which would be investigated by the Queensland T.A.B.

It is viewed as a possible alternative to legalised S.P. betting. The local store could become a T.A.B. sub-agency when off-course betting is fully computerised. Mr Hinze said he would ask the T.A.B. to look closely, at extending agency fac-

ilities, but said he was confident -the. T.A.B. could handle the state’s betting with certain planned initiatives. ' /? ■ . . He said- discussions were taking place with the Post Office bn a proposed .special concession, rate for phone punters in areas now without T.A.B. agencies. ; It was expected that',a phpne subsidy for punters, in more remote areas of the state would divert millions of .dollars a yeartfrom S,P.' bookies to the-T.ASi > Punters would .be able: to! phone bets to the nearest di-; visional headquarters' fori the price of a local call.