CHANCE PREDOMINENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 17

CHANCE PREDOMINENT.

EUCHRE TOURNAMENTS ILLEGAL, DECISION IN AUCKLAND CASE. AUCKLAND, July 29. In a reserved judgment which Mr W. R. M’Kean, S.M., delivered at the Police Court to-day, it was held that euchre tournaments arc illegal. The Magistrate said that chance, not skill, was the predominant element in progressive euchre. The case was one in which Remington and J. Lomax were charged with keeping a common gaming house at the Masonic Hall, Devonport. The evidence at the hearing of the case was that the defendants ran weekly euchre tournaments in the hall.

In his judgment the Magistrate stated that in most games of cards there existed a substantial operative clement of skill, and quoted whist as an example. It had been held in an English case that whist, played in conditions almost similar to those of the euchre tournament, was a game of chance because the clement of skill was slight, and that of chance predominated. The only distinction between the cases was that the initial amount of skill required for euchre was possibly less than that required for whist. The element of chance was made greater by the fact that the winners might be players who had not finished their games when the bell was rung. There had been nothing in the evidence to show that skill predominated at the tournaments. A sergeant of police gave evidence * b at he had tried hard to win, but his efforts were nullified by changes of partners. The evidence showed that the defendants had made a business of tournaments by holding them regularly. This amounted to keeping a common gaming house within the meaning of the Act. The legislation was directed against those who, for their own profit and in the way 'f business, opened premises for the purpose of gaming.” “It should be added,” said the Magistrate, “that the tournaments have been conducted fairly and in an orderly manner.”

In order to give Mr Schramm (counsel for the defendants) an opportunity to consider the question of appeal, the penalties will not be imposed until Monday, and the convictions will be entered on that day.