THE LAW BROKEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20103, 23 March 1928, Page 7

THE LAW BROKEN

A EUCHRE TOURNEY “COMMON GAMING HOUSE.” [ Per Press Association. J WELLINGTON, March 23. In view of the public interest which has been aroused by the recent Supremo Court decision in Christchurch regarding a euchre tourney, the following statement is made by tho AttorneyGeneral and Alinister of Justice, the Hon. F. J. Rolleston:— The facts on which the recent decision was based were that the party prosecuted had invited the public by advertisement to attend at certain premises known as the Sydenham Football Hall for the purpose of playing progressive euchre. The charge of 2s 6d was made for admission and cash prizes up to £lO were offered to winners of the tournament. The tournament was run purely for the purpose of private gain. On these facts the Court, following decisions on exactly tho same law which is in force in England, hold that the premises were what is called in law common gaming house in breach of the provision of the Gaming Act. Essential points in this »-ase wore that au admission fee was charged for entries in the euchre tournament for tho purpose of winning the prize and that prizes of value, that is, money, were, offered to winners of the tournament.

“I have received many letters on thif subject from different parts of tji< country, some of them evidently writ ten on the assumption that the gam< of euchre has been declared an unlawful game,” states Mr Rolleston. “This is not so. A game becomes unlawful on.ly if played in such circumstances as to constitute the premises where it is played a common gaming house. In tho prosecutions which have recently come before the Courts five out of six were cases in which the tournaments were being conducted as a matter of business by private individuals purely for the purpose of private gain and these differed in no way from those of tho ‘roll down’ or other similar prosecutions.”