RACING IN AUSTRALIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22628, 20 July 1935, Page 21

RACING IN AUSTRALIA

ILLEGAL BETTirlc PROBLEM TIPSTERS ON THE WIRELESS (From Odr Own Corresponhent.) SYDNEY, July 11. Racing in Australia has reached a stage where it is causing concern not only to clubs, owners and trainers, but also to Governments, which derive considerable revenue from it. This concern is particularly acute in New South Wales, where the Government is closely studying methods to improve conditions.

In Victoria the commercial, or proprietary, racing club has been almost extinguished, and the stakes provided for owners have correspondingly increased. Racing as a consequence is more flourishing there than in New South Wales, where proprietary clubs still conduct a large share of the sport. Seven of these clubs, for instance, each conduct 14 or 15 meetings a year on suburban courses, and three on provincial courses within 50 miles of the city. The two other courses near the city, Randwick and Warwick Farm, are conducted by the non-proprietary Australian Jockey Club, and larger stakes are provided there than on courses which have to return dividends to shareholders. Many of the country clubs, practically all non-pro-prietary. are in a bad way. The oldestablished Newcastle Jockey Club has recently made a loss on every meeting it has held, and is talking of putting up the shutters. The placing of the turf entirely in the hands of non-pro-prietary clubs, according to most owners, is the obvious solution, but no Government would dare to adopt so bold a policy. , , The New South Wales Government is paying attention to another aspect of racing—that of broadcasting descriptions of races and betting thereon. It is declared that this broadcasting enables illegal starting-price betting to thrive. The Australian Jockey Club permits an announcer of one of the A class (noncommercial ) stations to describe the races from points inside its two courses, but he is not allowed to give betting quotations. That does not stop the B class stations from giving a more extensive service, inclucling betting. Four of the six B class stations in Sydney have observers with powerful glasses on stands outside but overlooking the courses. These observers not only give out jockeys’ names and post positions befoie the race, but describe the running and the result, and give the betting a minute or two after the race is decided. The starting-price bookmakers, working in hotels, clubs, and any other place where they can gather a clientele, conduc‘ betting operations on these broadcast details, even to “ paying-out ” on the prices. Thousands of persons, by means of tbe telephone, conduct afteinoon betting sessions from their own homes. It can easily be seen that attendances at the courses are seriously affected by these illegal operations, and the revenue from taxes on bookmakers’ and totalisator turnover is proportionately reduced. There is no doubt that starting-pnee betting, aided and abetted by broadcasting, has grown into a great evil. Apart from its moral effect, the adverse influence on Government finances and legalised racing affairs is too serious to be permitted to continue. The B class broadcasting stations live on revenue v obtained by means of programmes “sponsored’’ and paid for by advertisers. Thus, the racing sessions are sponsored by professionaal tipsters who sell to. tiie _ gullible supposedly “ special ” information about likely winners. It is known that one or two of these tipsters are a sinister influence in the racing game, because they have ome jockeys and trainers in their pay. The New South Wales Government wanted to get at the root of this evil by forbidding or severely curtailing race broadcasts, hut it has encountered a constitutional difficulty. Doubt has arisen whether the State has a right under the Federal Constitution to interfere with the broadcasting of racing and other information. Broadcasting stations are licensed by and are under the control of the Postmaster-general’s Department; and that, it is argued, gives them jurisdiction as interstate business enterprises (with special protection under the Constitution) rather than purely State-wide activities. In the event oi State legislation being ultra vires the Constitution, the Commonwealth Government will lie asked to introduce legislation that, in tbe interests of racing in New South Wales, is deemed necessary. But the Commonwealth, through the post office, obtains considerable revenue from the broadcasting stations by leasing telephone wires to them, and a doubt arises whether it will be enthusiastic about foregoing that revenue.