BETTING FACILITIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23405, 22 July 1939, Page 14

BETTING FACILITIES

FIVE SHILLING- MACHINE LICENSED BOOKMAKERS SOUTHLAND SUGGESTION [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] INVERCARGILL, Friday "The time has come when we should have a five shilling betting unit and licensed' bookmakers competing with the totalisator," said the president of the Southland Racing Club, Mr. W. T. Hazlett, at the annual meeting of members last evening. "In other parts of the world there aro many wireless listeners who, have never been on a racecourse, but they are being educated up to racing by radio. These people do not haye to go to a racecourse to bet. In Australia bookmakers can be found anywhere there is a wireless set ready to take the bets of the listeners. That sort of thing is now creeping into New Zealand, although I do not know whether we have any bookmakers in Southland." (Laughter.) Mr. Hazlett said he was not in favour of a five shilling totalisator being made mandatory by the New Zealand .Racing Conference, as had' been suggested in the North. He was right against the conference interfering with the internal management of any club. It would not suit every club, but the Southland Racing Club wanted it. It was probable that the first club to introduce it might lose money for the first two or three years, but that was only io be expected under present conditions. It was clear that something had to be done to combat the facilities, mainly the radio, which were available for increasing and encouraging betting in small amounts.