£2 BETS.

Franklin Times, Volume 14, Issue 258, 29 July 1925, Page 2

£2 BETS.

NO ANTE-POST WAGERING.

WAY TUBY HAVE IN JAPAN. No punter allowed to plunge more I ban £2 on a race. Winning wagers limited to £2O. None of the anti-post betting, which in Australia enriches Ihe few at the cost of many. Bookmakers not allowed, though perhaps I hey would not want lo be with such limited opportunities, writes Poseidon,” in the Sydney Sun. These are a few of the points about racing in shaky Nippon that Captain Y'asuda, secretary of the Tokio Racing Club, made in a chat one had with him. and to which Baron Kusumalo, a committeemen of the club, nodded assent. They have no misconceptions about

Japan’s place in the sun about racing. They had .just come in from Randwick, and the genial captain remarked: “We have so much to learn. We can’t make an ideal place like Randwick in a day or a year or two, but we are going to do our best. We are here because our people understand that the best racing appointments in the world can be scon in Australia.” “Mad on Betting.”

li scorns that l'or many years racing in Japan was confined to foreign residents. Then, with a view to assisting the horse-breeding industry, permission was given for a few meetings, but in consequence of “the people going mad over betting,” a paternal Governnurnl foreclosed, as it were, seeing danger in the growth of the betting habit. Nevertheless, still wishing to encourage horses the State gave cups for races or which betting was not allowed: hut public interest declined! Finally, after much argument, Parliament two years ago agreed to permit racing under certain restrictions. This nutshell history is interesting in a land like Australia, where racing has some restrictions, as shown#? the stage another people has reached in its turf legislation. No bookmakers are allowed, and the betting is clone on the French parimutuel plan. Our Japanese friends proud of their race as mathematicians, say that tlicey have men who calculate ilm figures for dividends “like light-

individual bets are restricted to 200 yen (£2) on a race. How some Australians would jib at this! But how beneficial it would be to many a small punter if bis speculation could thus lie limited. Then the dividend is limited to £2O. Any surplus is returned In (tie club and goes 1o assist in the breeding of horses. The Tobin Club is allowed to hold only two meetings a year—in the spring and autumn ——and they are of four days each. The added money Cor earli meeting amounts to £IO.OOO, besides which a percentage of the pari-mutuel receipts goes to winning owners. . There is none of the hire ot antepost betting for the simple reason that on tries for a race arc not received until f>o minutes before the event is timed l )0 start. Fields are limited to 16 because. racing is thought to be cleaner mid nicer than if a numn«r

were permitted. The distance of the nWiomy oi races is six furlongs, and ft varies ur> to two miles. Some of the horses are Japanese, put others have been imported from

England or Australia. The Government subsidises any breeder who will import good stock. Nowadays racing has such a hold of the eommuity that the Tokio Club is going to spend up to £200,000 on a modern course. Captain Yasuda says: “As soon as we get properly going we shall import many more Jiorses from Australia, and we are looking forward to strengthening the bonds of sportsmanship between our two countries.” The Japanese sportsmen expect to spend about six weeks in Australia.