BETTING TREND

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 306, 24 November 1945, Page 4

BETTING TREND

A BIG CHANGE. The trend towards big betting as an indication that plenty of money is available for. racing purposes was strikingly illustrated at, the , Levin Racing Club’s meeting at Otaki last Saturday. An analysis of the totalisator figures shows that the change from the days when the investor ot 10s at a time was the mainstay of the racing game has been most marked, and, it was obvious at Otaki * that the big bettor is having his day. Some interesting figures which support this have been provided by Mr C. V. Day, the manager of the totalisator at the meeting. The total amount put through the machine was £-64,717, and this represented the sale of 76,737 tickets, so that the average per ticket sold, worked out at 16s lOd. The qbvious increase in the bigger betting sums invested was noted principally at the £5 windows. Tickets sold there amounted to £15,055 or 23 per cent, of the turnover. At the £1 windows tickets aggregating £25,513, of 39ij per cent. of the turnover, were- sold, and at the 10s windows, £24,149, or 374 per cent. Thus the bettors in £1 or over were responsible for 62-) per cent, of the total. It is interesting to note that on the last race, generally known as ‘‘recovery stakes,” the sum of £2/50 was handled at the £5 windows and the total on the machine was £9630. _ An indication of the amount of money which the Government receives by way of taxation from racing was also provided at the meeting. The club will pay-'to the Government the sum of £11,035 4s lid, made up as follows:—Totalisator tax, £BOB9 12s 6d; dividend tax, £2831 2s; stakes tax, £24 H6s; amusement tax, £B9 14s sd.