BIG BOOKMAKING

Evening Star, Issue 23744, 27 November 1940, Page 11

BIG BOOKMAKING

£2,384 TAKEN FIRST DAY CUP MEETING SUBSTANTIAL FINES [Per United Press Association.] PALMERSTON N., November 2G. Breaches of the Gaming Act were admitted by six men and one woman who appeared before the Magistrate’s Court to-day. Dario La Ghetto Giorgi and Harry M. Essex were charged with carrying on the business of bookmakiug, and Ada Beatrice Giorgi was charged with assisting them. Detective-sergeant Meiklejohn said that Giorgi and Essex had pooled their businesses, in addition to buying out in July last the business of a third man named Williams. As a result they conducted one of the largest bookmaking establishments in the city. They had jive telephones, and up to 4 p.m. on November 23 the business for the day amounted to £742 13s. On the first day of the Wellington meeting they took £1,G33 IGs, and for the first day of the Christchurch Cup Meeting the takings were £2,384 18s. It was astounding that such a large amount of money should go through one office. Giorgi and Essex were each fined £l5O, and Mrs Giorgi was fined £25. Jadk Vickerstaff. proprietor of a billiard saloon, was fined £IOO for bookmaking. The other three accused were John Francis Hickey, George Herbert Manuel, and Henry Barnett Scott, all barmen. Hickey was fined £2O. having carried on bookmaking for a long time, and the other two men were fined £ls each. All had acted as agents. De-tective-sergeant Meiklojohn intimated that it might bo necessary to bring the hotel licensees before the court also if it was found that they had allowed bar betting to be conducted on their premises.