THE GAMING ACT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13613, 5 December 1907, Page 5

THE GAMING ACT.

EFFECT ON THE GASLIGHT SPORTS. PROBABLE ABANDONMENT. Thi: Auckland Athletic Club's sports, at Newmarket, which have been heretofore attended by from 1509 to 2000 people, were Inst night meagrely attended, only some 250 to 300 people putting in an appearance, and of these a large percentage consisted of competitors. The reduced attendance was no doubt due to the new Gaining A<jfc, which prohibits betting at such gatherings. To the accustomed visitor the meeting presented none of its usual animation. There were no bookmakers present, and, consequently, no betting, and beyond the interest which attached to the various events everything was very quiet. The competitors, as upon the previous Wednesday, ran for sweepstakes, but there were no sweeps outside these. It is reported on good authority that in consequence of the poor attendance last evening, and there being no prospects of an improvement in consequence of the stringency of the Gaming Act, the sports will forthwith be abandoned. A meeting of the club officials will be hold to,consider the position to-day.

BETTING IN CHRISTCHURCH. "A GHASTLY BLOT." [l»Y TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CumsTcmmon, Wednesday. A representative of a local newspaper, who set out to-day to ascertain whether street-betting was being carried on in Christchurch now,' and, if so, to what ex- , tent, succeeded in making one bet with a bookmaker direct and two others with agents of bookmakers. Two of the bets were-made on the street and the other in j a hotel, and the investigator felt convinced that he could have made many more bets had he continued his quest further. Some of the bookmakers approached said that they were waiting for licenses, and did not want to bet.

At the meeting of the Canterbury Methodist Synod to-day the president, the Rev. H. it. Dewsbury, in referring to the new Gaming and Lotteries Act, said that there might bo some admirable features in connection with it, but the perpetuation of the totalisator was a fatal blot. A still ghastlier blob was the licensing of the bookmakers, and he hoped that the Methodist Church would express itself strongly regarding everything that tended to put its imprimatur on legislation that legalised and rendered respectable a traffic which was in a large degree detestable.