ILLEGAL BOOKMAKING

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 35, 10 August 1934, Page 6

ILLEGAL BOOKMAKING

S.P. OPERATORS ORGANISE IN N.S.W.

It should interest the general racing public—which certainly means a large percentage of the population oi the Dominion —that an "S.P. (.Starting Price) Bookmakers' Association" •is now in process of formation, not only in Sydney, but also at Newcastle and other country centres. say's an Australian writer. The object of the new organisation is to place the "industry," or "profession," in a position that will secure for it greater respect from city and suburban punters, and to provide a fund from which operators in danger of "taking the knock" can be temporarily financed, and to supply legal assistance for members who come in contact or conflict with (the law. The project hus been under discussion in Sydney for some time, and it apparently owes a great deal to an Adelaide man, a union official,, now living in Sydney. He claims that through (he good, work that he and his colleagues put into "the cause," great pressure was brought to bear on the South Australian legislators, with the result "■ that betting shops and bookmakers are; now licensed in that State. ~/■. "FILL PUBLIC NEED." JL'ho 'uui«jjuru:tt> Oi tne titueum have uo wuSii to act, illegally, bii/ tuey contend uiui cnuy mi a yuonc uectt,-ilud. tnai,'u tuey were leguiiseu, liia'uy 01 me uiosi Unsavoury c-iemeni-s connected witti gaiuuiiug ~ would* Uisaiipear. il proper oecurnj* wt*i;e given to Due S..T.man, (t is contended, punters \youid be proDeeuiU. uu..'ttto diisrepuuiu.e lueuiuert oi We "prolesHion vVouid doon vanish. •'On course the puiiuu art* still actively eni guged in Ueteuung cases ol illegal betting, aim^they Kiiow an about tins proposed association. Ihey kuow also tluit, wnile it has ueen opera ting tot' some time in a tentative .wuy m - connection with the uiutiopoliUii track's, it is rapidly extending to cover operators on the "outer" at suburban and country racecourses. Members ot this new branch of the organisation operate as a rule on vacant land near a racecourse, preferably at a point from which the finishing post can be seen. They contribute weekly • premiums to a fund from which lines are paid for those unfortunates who are caught by the police. i A curious point in the system is that ■'a person once convicted is called upon: Ito pay a double contribution, because, if 'he is caught again, he will probably have to pay twice the original fine." SCOUTS EMPLOYED. As these operations are strictly illegal, at all "outers" the S.P. man must employ a scout or "cockatoo" to give warning of approaching danger. The usual . pay of the "cockatoo" has beei 10s a day; but the difficulties under whicli Mie "industry" L> now conducted are so serious that wages have been lately raised to 12s a day rather a handsome compliment to the police. , Ot course, finance is a aerious*, problem toi such vi organisation. The proposal, it> connection with the latest development, is for a .minimum ot 5s a week for a man operating alone, rising by a graduated tate to £5 a 1 week, in accordance with the turnover.

In the country the 'system works naturally on a smaller scale; and at Newcastle, in return for os a race meeting, or 10s a week for all race meetings, an S.P. man' can be reimbursed for all fines incurred in "the practice of his profession," and can also secure bail when he needs it. Altogether, it is an interesting development of modern sport, and the earnestness and pertinacity with which" the S.P. men arc striving for legal recognition indicate the extent to which the gambling habit lias become an integral factor in the,national character.