BETTING IN HOTELS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 81

BETTING IN HOTELS.

ACTION AT CHRISTCHURCH. CHRISTCHURCH, June 2.

At a meeting of the Licensing Bench, Mr Bishop, S.M., the chairman, com-, mented strongly on the fact that certain hotels were being used by bookmakers for the purpose of making bets. He said that five hotels were named by the police in this connection. He had taken the Licensed Victuallers' Association into his confidence, and as the result of that body's action the licensees had given a positive assurance that the abuses would be stopped. Mr Bishop spoke approvingly of the action of two licensees, who, on being warned by the police that bookmakers fre- . quented their premises, promptly and effectually stopped betting in their hotels. Of course ('continued Mr Bishop), he would not expect people to do impossibilities, and he knew there might be a difficulty in carrying out the undertaking, but he was quite satisfied with the assurance that each licensee would do hie best to put a stop to what was a serious abuse. Betting had been carried on to an extent in the street as to. attract public attention, and an attempt had been made by the police to put a stop to the practice. The attempt failed in certain respects, unfortunately, not everybody, being in sympathy with it; but the police found that certain hotels were being by certain bookmakers as a cover for their~ business. He knew that certain licensees had scruples as to how far they would be justified in putting a stop to the frequenting of their houses by bookmakers. He was not going to say for one moment that bookmakers would not be entitled to demand and exercise accommodation and refreshment from licensed publicans. wh« existed for that purpose, but immediately a licensee had any reasonable ground foi believing that accommodation and refreshment were being sought as a covet for the carrying on of illegal practices, then he was fully justified in refusing to receive or serve him. Betting now was illegal if carried on- elsewhere than on a racecourse, it would be a sorry thing indeed if hotels were to lend themselves as a cover for a most undesirable section of the community to carry on a business that affected the well-being; of the community. He had no wish or intention to preach a sermon about gambling, but one could not hide from oneself the fact that gambling was now being cai-ried on fo at considerable extent, and all thinking men must realise that it was a very seriousi evil at the present day. It was almost an anachronism that those who indulged! in gambling themselves recognised the evil results to the community and deplored the extent of the vice. Holding the opinion he did, that gambling was a sort of moral cancer, he should be extremely, sorry if he thought that publicans were covering the acts of those bookmakers—harpies as he believed them to be —by virtue of their licenses. He did not believe for one moment that any respectable publican would desire that.