BETTING CHARGE
HOTEL KEEPER FINED. (Per Press Association —Copyright). CHRISTCHURCH, January 26. “Quite often where reputable persons make one slip, the Racing Commission lifts the ban,” said Mr Levvey in court this morning, when Oliver Francis Watson, licensee of the Lancaster Park Hotel, and a racehorse owner, pleaded guilty to a charge of using the public bar of his premises as a common gaming house. He was fined £ls.
The Magistrate’s remarks were made in reply to counsel, who said the conviction would affect Watson as a racehorse owner, and debar him from attending meetings. He asked the Magistrate to consider this when deciding on the penalty. As the result of complaints, said Detective-Sergeant Sinclair, the police had placed the hotel tinder observation within a period of a. month or more. The police discovered that twen-ty-four bets had been taken. The largest of these had been for 10/-. The police intended that the prosecution should be a warning to other hotel- > keepers, who were carrying on in the same manner.
Watson told the police that he had taken bets to oblige customers. If he had not done so, his customers' would have gone to another hotel, Watson ,had not been in any sort of trouble before. Apparently accused was not in the business in a big way.
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Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1939, Page 5
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217BETTING CHARGE Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1939, Page 5
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