TOTALISATOR SYSTEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 142, 13 December 1933, Page 6

TOTALISATOR SYSTEMS

WOODVILLE'S REFERENDUM

When win-and-place betting was, first introduced to the Dominion nearly twelve months ago, it quickly established itself in favour with racegoers, and there was a rush by racing executives to install apparatus for handling the double pool. Without shadow of doubt it was a popular, innovation at the time, as was reflected by increasing turnovers on the totalisator. The popularity of the new mode, however, showed distinct evidence of waning early in the present season, and at present clubs are passing through a phase when they are not at all Bure whether they should persevere with the system or drop it. The Woodville District 'Jockey Club last weekend decided to test the feeling of racegoers in its immediate neighbourhood by means of a plebiscite, and from the moment that votes began to be counted on Saturday it was always clear what the popular verdict would be. Roughly 1500 voting papers were issued, arid over 800 valid votes were cast, the final count revealing that 626 people had declared for a return to the old system (modified with the extension to three dividends in fields of nine or more horses and two dividends in fields of five, six, seven, or eight horses), as against 187 desiring a continuance of win-and-place betting. So the old system was restored on Monday. The stewards desired a definite indication one way or the other, and they received it. It is futile to argue that the votes of the majority were those of incompetents and such, for that would be placing oneself upon the judgment pedestal. Racing is a democratic sport in which each man's view is as valuable as every other man's, even if he may not have the means for or inclination of gambling in big sums, and when a majority of such men (and women) say definitely that such a thing should be it is right that the majority opinion should carry the day. It did at Woodville, and the stewards of this club are to be greatly commended for so enabling the majority of racing men and women to express and be conceded their desire. The question of what is the better system is obviously one of individual preference, and no good at all could be served by, ladling out the opinions of only a single side. For every pro it would be easy to find a con or two, and for every two or three cons there would be half a dozen or bo pros, and so the argument would become endless. The majority have decided one way, without much room for doubting that it might have been a fluke Tote, and racing executives who do not now give at least some consideration to what appears to be .the greater desire of their patrons would hardly be meeting their full obligations to the sport. It- might be of some value to racing men to view in retrospect how the changeovers worked at Woodville, and for this purpose the following table of average dividends at the last two Summer Meetings has been compiled:-r

The three-dividend system was in operation at Woodville on.both days last December, and also on the second day this year. The win-and-place system operated on the first day this year. The dividends given are the average first, second, and third in the first three instances, and the average win and average place in the other case. Third dividends, owing. to',the .size of the fields, were occasional only,' hence the wide variation in their mean. The table would show that the straightout dividend; as would be expected, is definitely better than the first dividend on the single pool, also that the place dividend compares favourably with the mean of second and third dividends. However, it is impossible to make any general deductions from a couple of meetings of a single club, and the table is given as an example of fact sojely, and as such only is it meant to be viewed. /

Threo-dMdend System. Summer, - 1932. First. Second. Third, first day .. £3 16 £118{<K£1 4 0 Second day-.. £3 3 0 £3 5>0 £0 13 6 Slimmer, 1933. Second day . £4 0 0 £1 12 6 £3 2 0 Win-»nd-place System. Summer,- ' 1 1933. Win. Place. flrst day £5 10 6 / £2 8 0