BETTORS IN EVERY SECTION

Northern Advocate, 6 March 1947, Page 6

BETTORS IN EVERY SECTION

No difficulty would be experienced 1 in a change-over from the status of illegal operations to legalised and controlled ones. Legalising of the bookmaker would enhance the prestige of the police. There was no evidence that the police, In their operations against the bookmaker, thought it necessary to prosecute the large number of people who were equally to blame with the bookmakers for disregard of the gaming laws. Off-course bettors were to be found in every section of the community from the professional classes down to the humblest working man. Legislators, members of the police force and detectives, even clergymen, could not be excluded. No matter how heavy legislation had made the penalties for those convicted for illegal betting, it had failed to stamp it out or adequately suppress it. There were few who advocated a continuance of the . situation where bookmakers were Imprisoned for continuing a business that the law permitted to be done on a racecourse. The majority were unable to subI scribe to the idea that offenders! against the gaming laws should be placed in the same category as those charged with serious offences under the Criminal Code. The association submitted that the system of off-course betting which itadvocated, had never been tried in New Zealand. j This was due largely to the reper- ! missions of the earlier system of I bookmaking permitted on the course. Bookmakers of more than 40 years ago unfortunately had in their ranks some who were described as “balancers, guessers. twicers, welchers, and snide bookmakers.** Racing clubs, angry at the necessity of having to admit bookmakers to their courses, retaliated by failing to exercise any real vigilance over the type of man to whom licences were granted, and did nothing to discourage the influx of undesirables from Australia. To establish off-course betting, the association proposed the appointment by the Government of a licencing and

belling board consisting of a chair- J man (preferably a magistrate), an ac-1 1 countant, and a representative from j : each of the Racing Conference, Trotting Conference, and the bookmakers. ] This board would have full control 1 of every phase of racing and trotting and wagering thereon, including the issue, supervision and revocation ot j betting licences, the institution of criminal proceedings, and the formulation of starting-price limits payable by licensed bookmakers to off-course bettors. It was suggested that the board should licence one bookmaker to

every 3000 of the population. Every wager would be written on betting tickets in triplicate, the original to be retained by the bookmaker, the first copy to be forwarded to the tax collector and the second copy to be handed to the bettor on settling. Each original form would be impressed with a Id tax stamp, and wagering books would be bought from the Government Printing Office at cost price, plus the value of the impressed stamps. Taxation at the rate of 5 per cent would be paid by the winner of each wager, whether off-course bettor, or bookmaker, on the net winnings. For the purpose of this taxation, a wager ' on a horse win and place would be | treated as two separate wagers. Thus: I <1) The bettor wagered £5 each way with the bookmaker, but the horse failed to run into a place. The bookmaker would be liable for 107tax. (2) The bettor wagered £5 each way on a horse which ran third and paid £3/8/- for a place. The bettor would be liable for 12/- tax, being assessed on the net winnings on the place wager—£l7 due less £5 invested. The bookmaker would be liable for 5/- tax on the win wager. (3) The bettor wagered £5 each way on a horse which won and paid £6/4''- for a win and £2/16/- for a place. The bettor would be liable for 26/- tax on the win wager, and for 9/on the place wager. The bookmaker would be made responsible ior the collection of the ■ taxation.