BREACHES OF THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES ACT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 7947, 2 December 1886, Page 5

BREACHES OF THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES ACT.

Christchurch, November 11,

A smart fine was imposed by Mr Beetham tliis morning upon two. bookmakers, A. G, Clarke and C. A. Porter, who were convloted of breaches of the Gaming and Lotteries Act, The case against them was that on the first day of the Metropolitan Meeting - they stood together near the totaliaator, and announced that they would pay the same dividends on the winning horse as the totaliaator paid. Porter took the money while Clarke made entries in a book ruled for thepurpose, Clarke’s explanation was that Porter had simply undertaken to obviate the inconvenience many persons had in getting to the totalisator daring a crush, and that Better employed him to book the money received in order to avoid mistakes. They did not undertake to invest the money in the totalisator, but they guaranteed to pay investors who backed winning horses the amount they would have received from the totalisator had they taken tickets directly. If no one backed the winner, they (defendants) kept the proceeds. This happened in two races—the Spring Hurdles, in which they received £2O, and the Criterion Stakes, £3l 15s—in neither of which had they a single backer of ’ the winning horse. It was pointed out for the defence that, had some persons backed winning horses, and the totalisator dividends were heavy, defendants’ losses would have been proportionately heavy, and this was the risk they ran. The Bench held that defendants had conducted an unlawful scheme contrary to the Act, and each of them was fined £25.