GASLIGHT SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 17, 15 October 1907, Page 5

GASLIGHT SPORTS.

ALLEGED OPEN GAMBLING.. •' • THE CHARGES DENIED. ~" [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] < Auckland, October 14. A-iull. ; roport upon the proceedings l :at"thaweekly -gaslight sports meeting held hero under the auspices of the Auckland Athletic Club, in connection with which a deputation waited upon the Hon. George tfbwlds during his recent visit to Auckland, has been presented to. tho Ministers' Association by,tho committee sot up for tlio'.'purposo. tutor alia, this report says with regard to a meeting at which tho committee was present: "Tho feature of tho meeting was tho open gambling which took place. This appeared to bo the. chief attraction, aiid\:Wo arJBVof opinion that if this gambling were removed" thero would bo no sports. Bookmakers, to tho pstimated number of thirty were present plying their calling, and meeting with .very brisk business. Wo counted bets' booked -by one of these bookmakers on several races, and found that the averago was four" and a half bets per race. Wo think the avorago betting over all tho races by all- tho ■bpqlsraakers would probably 'be higher. v Accepting our counted average of bets, and multiplying it by the number of events and. by the number of ' bookmakers, wb" arrived'at' tho conclusion that .5205 bets were booked botweoh-tho hours of 7.30 aiii4l •■•'o'clock/ Tho persons hotting with thb''u<Sbkmakors woro for thq.biggest part men of'fronij say, eighteon to thirty years of ago. Thero woro also some older and somo youugcr'tban thoso ages. Towards tho closo of tho proceedings —that .would bo during tho secou'd'and 'third rouuds and fiuals—a considerable number, of young boys, between tho ago of fourteen to •oightcon, woro betting quito openly', autl'.with-" out restraint.. Theso.aro tho facts of which wo: woro ;witncssos."-... ~_■-._ ;,.'., \. \, ■. ALLEGED CROOKED ; RUNNING:' y • : Having analysed tho probable'profits mado ; by tho sports promoters, 'tho'■report'-'goes' on to say.—"We were also -.-informed that crooked running is added to tho other risks which confront tho gambler, and that' tho" gambling-''fraternity who- infest' this place ,are.sometimes in a position to tako. advan-. tago of their knowledge of■■ thoi'crooked sport; and but on a certainty, and thus directly rob thoir victim. There was, however, nothing in Wednesday's night's proceedings to . indicate to us that anything pfi-thiß kind was occurring, unless a number of penalties imposed for crooked running might be considered .evidence."' :~; ' ■ .V!l V > :' \'V v "- THE LEGAL POSITION, ;;- > ■ "When discussing with Inspector; Gude'n the unrestrained- .facilities for gambling' which, this place affords, we learned that-thero'is no existing law under which : ho can proceed against these gamblers and thus 'stop"' this wickodness. , When wo protested that it was his duty to do something, ho informed us that he had duly reported upon, it .to tho head, of his', department. We do> not ;khow' of a much moro demoralising-jphool. for, boys and young men, than tlieso-gaslight sports provide, and wo, strongly recommend that some action bo taken ,to stop tihfiftf forthwith." If''these'is no law available, one' should bo made, or some alterations should bo mado in the Police Offences Act of-the Gaming, and Lotteries Act to'meet the,, case.. Wo understand that a by-law could bo mado by tho Newmarket Borough Council,.in whoso district theso sports grounds are, which would bring-it under Borough control, and wo understand that some little, time ago-iti motion in tin's direction was tabled;atitho Council's meeting, but for some reason the motion was dropped." ' THE PROMOTERS' REPLY."'"" ~ Mr. W. Riley, one of tho promoters of tho Auckland Athletic Club, .characterised tho.. allegations as 'unreasonable 'arid' 'misloading. ~"l.have,:.', he.declares, "neverseen; a woman makb" a • wager at the sports, and as for wagers ma'do by, boys, the law does not permit a person under tho'ago of twentyone to make a bet. If>they do, bet, woll,i whero are the police? Tho attendanco averages-; from f _ 1500...t0: ,2000, and- if■'• onlyv-1000< bets aro mado thoromust bo'a.large.numpo!; ; of those'pre'sorit'who'never bet at alL'You' must remember that thoso who do bet generally bet moro th: . once. As for tryiqg to. prevent a man} 'from betting,'you'' cannot doit, for ho will bet if ho wants to. Ho will go on betting till he finds out ;,that tho "game" is unprofitable, and then, and not till then, will he knock off. As to tho running itself, tho club has had thirty-two' handicaps, and each one has been annexed by a runner well known iii;. Auckland.' Thero has never yet been a caso of "ringing-in" a runnor,, and I doubt if any b'tlior professional sports, .club ; in, ( tho,..world can, say., the ./samo.'The club does its best to pick out any runner, whp*;is not a' thorough sport." ■""'' '■' " '!'• ■'•:"- 'i'-'«- ■ '■'•