BETTING SYSTEMS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1935, Page 5

BETTING SYSTEMS

TOO MANY IN OPERATION.

POSITION BECOMING FARCICAL.

The various alternative methods of conducting the totalisator in the Dominion, writes Rangitira in the Wellington Evening Post, were undoubtedly introduced by the racing and trotting authorities at a time of stress in all good faith and with all good intentions of assisting the clubs,’ but’ the authorities could hardly have anticipated the development from their action of such a heterogeneous array of “systems” as have now sprung up everywhere like Cadmean teeth. The effect of so many “systems” is just that there is no longer any system at all. The totalisator rules are being jostled about like a problem in permutations, and clubs are now simply vying with each other to discover new and strange ways of combining the rules. The latest variation has been introduced by the Forbury Park Trotting Club, which, not to be outdone by the Stratford Racing Club, has apparently decided to run the old 75-25 per cent, system in combination with the usual place system. “This system has not yet been tried in the Dominion,” it is boldly asseverated, or elsewhere, it might have been added, and thankful all other centres except Dunedin must be that the “experiment” is not being tried on them. The multifariousness of the “systems” now being “tried out” in the Dominion is hardly becoming farcical —it has long since passed that stage of deterioration. When a single system existed all was fairly well with the totalisator. Other’ factors were bringing about difficult days, but the time of crisis was not the least alleviated by breaking up the established system. Now the totalisator, as far as its mode-of operation is concerned, has become a disparate motley of almost every phase of disintegration, and the sooner some sharp action is taken to prohibit racing clubs from completely mutilating the established practice of the world the better by far it will be for the racing welfare of the Dominion.

Let all the recent rules of totalisatoi modifications be withdrawn again at the earliest possible moment before some other clubs try further “experiments.” Then let a new set of rules be drafted confining the systems to the original or some single varied mode of the singlepool, and an alternative mode of win and-place. Two definitely-defined systems, as alternatives, is sufficient confusion for any public who go to racing simply for recreation. The more the variations on the themes of single-pool and win-and-place the further vanishes the point of pleasure and enjoyment that is the actual object of the racing spirit. Kill pleasure and enjoyment, and the mainspring that regulates the entertainment will be smashed to smallest pieces. PURCHASE OF NEW TOTALISATOR. CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB. (By Wire.—Special to News). Christchurch, Last Night. There was a full attendance of the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club at a meeting held to-day to discuss the future of totalisator arrangements. The manager of a Sydney firm was present at the invitation of the committee and provided some informat'on. The committee decided to enter into a contract with the company to purchase a new win-and-place totalisator. The new machine will be electrically controlled throughout, and the dividends for each horse on the win and on 'the place will be shown automatically _ on the barometer system, a method with which the public has become acquainted through its working at Trentham. The club’s contract provides for a totalisator being installed for the Grand National meeting in August, Riccarton will then have the most up-to-date totalisator arrangements in the Dominion.