NEW BETTING DEVICE

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1934, Page 6

NEW BETTING DEVICE

IMPROVED TOTALISATOR HORSES’ DIVIDENDS DISPLAYED. TARANAKI CLUB INTERESTED. INGENIOUS MECHANICAL IDEA. The totalisator improvement, which gives not the amount of money invested on each horse but the dividend that each would pay if the totalisator were to close then, is interesting Taranaki racing clubs. It is understood that the Taranaki Jockey Club is likely to instal the device. Mr. W. Power, secretary of the Stratford Racing Club, when interviewed by the Daily News last night, said this improved totalisator had been in operation at several big meetings in New Zealand and had proved successful. The difficulty of using it at country meetings would be that the public would have to be educated and clubs could not take the risk. The bigger centres had two or three meetings a year and the public soon got used to it. “With this new machine the investors do not hang about so much,” he said. “The idea is to get the public to invest more quickly. I understand, that the New Plymouth club has decided to adopt it aiid the Stratford committee will consider it this week.” ' The machine has been approved by the chief inspector of totalisators. The idea of the device is that instead of the investment on the horses being displayed as with most totalisators the price which the horse is paying the dividend—is shown. The machine automatically deducts the 12J per cent, and the 5 per cent, dividend tax when the handle is turned so that the net amount available for dividends is disclosed immediately. For clubs adopting the win and place betting system, a separate machine for each pool will be used. The combination of two revolving discs, one within the other, worked on the principle of the revolving logarithm table, gives the readings for each section of the place system. A barometer for the win and the place is included in the apparatus. The mechanical part, or the brain, is a very small machine, not as big as the box on an automatic telephone. The working parts are enclosed in a celluloid case.