BOOKMAKERS AT RICCARTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 40

BOOKMAKERS AT RICCARTON.

Canterbury Times thus comments on the recent legal proceedings : The bookmakers do n ■!, say that they -baVe""a right to go into th~c enclosures and bet ; their contention has a. way» been that they had no right to be debarred admittance merely because they were bookmakers. The Canterbury Jockey Club, of course, knows full well that the pencillers do a large amount of business, the tolalisator iPturns being considerably decreased thereby. Whether the trustees have the right to make regulation? excluding bookmakers from the reftrve remains to be proved, but the probabilities! are that any such attempt will be vigorously contested by the bookmakers. Probably it would have been 'better, under the circumstances, il the club had licensed solvent bookmakers to do business in the enclosure., and that course might be pursued now. So long as bookmakers are on the comse their clients will bei with them; and this being so, it would purely be preferable to allow such wagering to be carried on openly. There is one feature about this betting with bookmakers on the course which > phould not be lost sight of by the club, and that is that many of its members are the bookmakers' best customers. It is strange, probably, that this should be so, and if the bookmakers are not on the course, then the money is wired to them in town. As a matter of fact, it is questionable whether the presence of the peneillers on the course does not mean an increased revenue through the tolalisator, as overloaded books are' usually partially emptied into the machine, whereas if the money were wired away time would not permit of such being done. So far, the bookmakers have succeeded irr effecting an entrance to the racecourse : it lemains to be seen whetiuv any further efforts will be made to -exclude them.