THE PRIVILEGED BOOKMAKER

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 262, 1 August 1929, Page 11

THE PRIVILEGED BOOKMAKER

Sir, —When, in strolling down the Quay, one meets an exceptionally prosperous looking individual he generally turns out to be a bookmaker; if he looks even more prosperous he is generally an ex-bookmaker. These “gentlemen,” whose bulging bank accounts are supported so liberally by the sporting public, have the advantage of the active support of the Presbyterian General Synod and certain other religious organisations. Strange bedfellows indeed 1 Yet in their wisdom, or unwisdom, these religious bodies, by their opposition to the proposed Gaming Act Amendment are really playing into tlie hands of the bookmakers, and are thereby contributing to the fostering of gambling in its most pernicious form. The effect of this unholy alliance has already been stressed, and there is no need to elaborate the point. But there is one aspect of the bookmaker pestilence that has not been sufficiently put under the spotlight of publicity, and that is thgt the big men in the game appear to be above the law. Occasionally a raid is made upon some understrapper, but there appears to be no persistency in the effort of the police to attack the problem at its main fountain-head. These big men are quite well known to men about town. They have their offices, staffs, and numerous telephones. They are in touch with social clubs. Some of them have agents throughout the city, and sheaves of printed cards for straight-out starting-price betting and double betting are distributed through the post l almost daily. It is not conceivable that these big men could not be caught if the police set themselves out to catch them. Yet a friend of one of these big men openly stated the other day that they boasted that any fines inflicted in past years have amounted only an infinitesimal license fe Why is it that the unhappy Celestial who runs his Ijttle pak-a-poo lottery is so valiantly attacked while the big men of the bookmaking world go on their way rejoicing in their immunity. The position calls for some explanation from those responsible for its anomalies. and I trust, Sir, you will take the matter up.-I am. Wellington, July 26.