THE GAMING ACT.

NZ Truth, Issue 198, 3 April 1909, Page 2

THE GAMING ACT.

Amendments Required. That Parliament will have to amend this Act as soon as it assembles this year is the general opinion of ninetenths of the racing folk of the Dominion. Two years ago this abortion of ah Act was rushed through m the dying hours of the session, and now, after.it has had a fair trial it must be said, that it has failed igriiminously to justify its existence. At the present time the race-courses throughout New Zealand are infested with a big proportion of spielers, pickpockets from foreign shores and never a meeting passes by without several 1 robberies irom the person are reported. The police Say they are powerless to interfere with these, evil-doers, las if they attempt to "vag" them' they are always ready to produce a bookmaker's license from some club, which proves that they are not vagrants and have the means of earning a living. The recent prosecutions at Wanganui prove this to he twaddle, as m the cases referred to Detective Siddells secured three convictions against spielers though at' different times, each of them had ;icted as a bookmaker. What one detective can accomplish the others should :ho able to do,* so why do the police allow the face courses to be infested by Mich pests ? Recently, m the report to Dr. Findlay, Minister of Justice, Police »'-rni--missioner Dinnie is reported by tbedsiJy press to have said that the race courses were no worse since the passing of the Gaming Act than before the measure came into operation. The absurdity of this is apparent, and no one knows it better than the said Dinnie. Several cases have occurred throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand of bookmakers who have been licensed by racing clubs and have failed to settle their liabilities. Can it be said of the racing clubs that they are complying with the letter and spirit of the Act intended ? Par from it. The said dubs are delighted when a "welsher" is reported to them, and answei that they guarantee the totalisator, and. all investments should be made there. From nine clubs out of every ten anyone who has enough money to pay his license fee can obtain the privilege of betting on a racecourse. Is this what the Legislature desired ? Certainly not. The Act requires amendment m the direction of making it imperative on every bookmaker desirous of plying his calling on a race course to furnish evidence of his financial stability. A deposit of £200 should be required of paddock bettors, and half that amount from outside layers. This would do away with the "sealers," as anyone who is unable to find this amount is palpably not a fit and proper . person to hold a bookmakers' license. "Truth" would go further than this, and require every bookmaker applying for a license to forward ji certificate of character from some responsible police officer. Were this done an effectual bar would be put upon the foreign element who are at present operating on the racecourses. But the principal thing ..is the deposit, and experience t has shown m the case of so-called "unregistered" clubs everywhere m Australia, which, m order to guarantee punters "a fair go," rigidly insist on pencillers coming to light with the proper stuff, and m the event of anything untoward happening, well the "unregistered" people Know how to meet the would-be defaulter .liabilities. ,