New Gaming Legislation This Session

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26774, 18 May 1948, Page 4

New Gaming Legislation This Session

Daily Times Special Service WELLINGTON, May 17,

The establishment of a scheme of off-course betting through the totalisator, which was one of the important recommendations of the Royal Commission on Gaming and Racing, is expected to be provided for in the gaming legislation which the Government has indicated will probably be introduced during the coming session of Parliament. At its annual conference in Dunedin early this month the Labour Party, adopted a remit urging that off-course betting through controlled agencies be instituted. In his address to the conference the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, stated that among the questions which would in some measure receive the attention of Parliament this session would probably be the report of' the Licensing Commission and the Gaming Commission. The agenda paper for the conference contained a remit asking that the Government implement the finding of the two commissions, but it was reported that no action was taken on them, as the Government intended to introduce the necessary legislation this coming session. A committee appointed by the caucus of the Parliamentary Labour Party. is at present examining the Gaming Commission’s report, and is to report back to the caucus with proposals for the framing of legislation. A similar committee of the caucus is doing likewise with the report of the Licensing Commission. The report of the Gaming Commission has yet to be discussed by the House of Representatives, as the commission did not report until after the finish of last year’s session. The Government may, therefore, await this debate to ascertain the views of members generally before introducing legislation. The commission recommended an additional 19 trotting totalisator days, and trotting enthusiasts are hopeful that the legislation will provide for the granting of these. Other recommendations of the commission which would require legislation to give effect to them include the establishment of a doubles totalisator newspaper tipping, the publication of dividends, telegraphing and posting of totalisator investments to clubs, the removal of the limit of three on the number of totalisators operated by any club, and exemptions from income tax of moneys paid to the proposed stakes stabilisation fund. •» Some of the recommendations of the commission, however, can be given effect to by Ministerial action, either initially or after arrangement with either the Racing or Trotting Conferences or both. These include recommendations dealing with the stabilisation of stakes, mid-week racing, Government inspection of totalisators. bracketing of horses, redistribution of existing racing and trotting totalisator days, restrictions on the broadcasting of' races, and financial help out of retained fractions by totalisator clubs to help non-totalisator clubs.