THE LAW AND THE RACE COURSE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1929, Page 7

THE LAW AND THE RACE COURSE

The deputation ropies-enuitive of racing and kindred nuereyis which interviewed the Prune Alinister' at nc.lingtim this week presented a sirong ease in support or its request Jiat tlie Gaming Act sliou.d ue so amended as to permit of tlie telegraph" ng ol investments to racecourses and ■ i tlie publication ol tiie dividends fiat are paid.

The first of these requests—that .ritli winch tiio deputation was m.-st loscly coiiioiiied—JclaLcs to ail aswet of tin*. Act which aa'cctd not oin\

:e re-ven,iu of lJi-j racing clubs, hut iSu tile public revenue and, for that

■as.m, mig.iL lie expected to appeal irecti,y to the Government. To such m extent as betting is done through die bookmaker which would otherwise e done through the totalisator the acing clubs and tlie Government like suffer. It should not he a nogigihle consideration, moreover, that oakmaking is an unlawful occupation nd that tlie law must he regarded as nconsistent in any respect in which it iffers encouragement to this calling. A propsal to bring about a diverion of betting from tlie bookmaker ; -,o the totalisator aims nt once at ho transference of this business from m illegitimate to a legitimate clianlel and at the promotion of a better ibseryance of the law than actually ihtains. It is not a question concerning the volume of betting, since that is likely to remain substantially the •■line, hut it is one of increasing legilised betting at the expense of unlawful betting. If this can be done to tlie financial, benefit of both the •acing clulis and the State by tlie con■ession to the public of the privilege >f telegraphing investments to the •*a,recourse two useful ends would be served, and nnlv the bookmaker would he the worse for ft.

The ban upon the publication in the press of racing dividends—matter which may be legitimately regarded as news such as the public is entitled to have placed before it—is a flagrant blot upon the existing law. Everybody knows, or should know, that the restriction serves- no useful purpose whatever, and that tiie information which the newspapers are not perinitted to publish is circulated all over the country within a remarkably short time of the running of the events to which it relates. It is hard to believe that Parliament will continue to sanction a form of prohibition that is not merely tyrannical but- is wholly' ineffectual in Its purpose of withholding from the public any' information concerning the dividends that are paid on races.