A CURB ON GAMBLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14491, 4 October 1910, Page 6

A CURB ON GAMBLING.

LAST, OF THE. BOOKMAKJ^B FEWER TOTALIS PERMITS^ ' : : •'• v -\4f ."W-fSp ... ' .'v J i (by TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL COBEESPOJ?DEHT,^ Wellington', Monday. ;/1 The Dominion gives the following precjpl of the new Gambling Bill: > Street betting is dealt with in &averil| fashion. Any person who loiters in any;! street for the purposes of betting will b&l guilty of an offence and liable to a fining not less than £20 or more than £100 for jfe" first offence. If he offends again, tlireS|| months' improsonment may be his poiCi; tion. Power is given the police to arresf|| on suspicion without warrant. 'i|?| The bookmaker is condemned outright;:-.! It is specifically provided that the busi-i?l ness of bookmaking is an unlawful calling;! and every person who pursues this calling is liable to a fine of £100 or imprison-! ment for three months. Moreover, eveiy f person who bets with a bookmaker ig§| liable to a fine not exceeding £50, he can prove that he did not know, whaf making the wager, that he was betting with a bookmaker. Racing clubs areiii given power to prevent bookmakers plyinjf'S their calling on racecources. The intentions of the Government garding the totalizator will probably prove ol most general interest. At the prett&tjf time racing clubs are granted 128 total}); sator permits each year. After July next,' if the Bill passes, the number will : h|| reduced to 100, with a limit of 190 racing 7 days. , : , Trotting clubs will have the numbefj of permits issued to them reduced froiis| 28 to 22, with a limit of 50 days' racing!! The following table will show the podi£| tion as it is to-day, and as it will be i|| the Bill passes into law:— RACING CLUBS. r } Permits. Days' Present position ... 128 242 -^.i^ New proposals ... 100 190 , Reduction. ... ... 23 52 *_£<» TROTTING CLUBS. f : £| Present position ... 28 63 New proposals ... 22 , 50 J/" Reduction ... 6 13 - The proposed charges will come as jt-ij severe shock to sorao of the clubs whidjt| have committed themselves to ments ahead. Every totalisator permife| issued will be issued in respect of a singly race meeting and will specify the day 05 days on which the totalisator may ;ii|| used. Instead of the racing and trottiopi conference apportioning the permits snb-jvi ject to the Minister's approval, a special! commission, consisting of five persons t<jj_ be appointed by the Government, is-toljjffj set up to receive applications and.alioj cate the permits. The Minister, however,, will still retain his power of veto.; ::JThere aye several other minor ions. One is to compel all> who befcrlg through the totalisator, to do so with golcfe or bank notes. This is to prevent any I; betting on credit by arrangement with tt| club, which is said to be dond on occjiyj sions when the club is satisfied with financial stability of the person granted this privilege. The law is also to b*| made more stringent in regard to the pnbj| lication of any indication whatever of th«r degree of favouritism of horses on the] 1 totalisator. M The Prime Minister says the Bill has not' yet been before Cabinet. _.:p ** , "