Betting Prohibition in the States

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 4, 26 January 1910, Page 13

Betting Prohibition in the States

CURIOUS METHODS TO EVADE IT. Betting on horse races has been prohibited by laws of the State Legislatures of New York and California. But the devotees of the sport have found a .way to evade the enactments by a unique system known as "memory betting.” It was hoped by the sponsors for the antibetting laws that they would result in the destruction of the sport of horse racing. Although on a much reduced scale, it has been found possible to conduct meetings in both California and New York (writes a correspondent). The memory system of betting is something quite new, but as people get accustomed to the way it is worked they find it is still possible to have a little wager on the races, notwithstanding the laws. The innovation is based on a decision of the Court of Appeals of New York State that betting is a crime only when accompanied by a record, registry, or the use of some part of the paraphernalia of professional gamblers. In effect, the decision holds that oral betting does nob constitute bookmaking in violation of the anti-race track gambling law. “Legislation should be practical,” said Chief Judge Cullen in his opinion, “and it is at least doubtful whether a statute making every offer or acceptance of a bet

or wager a crime could, in the present state of morals and habits of the community, be enforced.” In order to keep within the law, the bookmakers do not call themselves bookmakers now. They are "layers.” Those who bet against them are “players.” No designated place for the layers to stand is provi<led. They carry no parajWiertialia of any kind; but mingle wiUi the emwd. and go where they please. A programme, containing scratchings, names of jockeys, and other advance information, is supplied by the jockey club to the layers at a stipulated price. Upon this programme the layers mark the prices, which may be seen by the publie. The hets, though, have to bo memorised. There can be no recording of wagers. In order that a person may speculate he must establish his credit with one of the layers. In other words, the night before the races, or a week before if preferable, he must deposit with some mutually satisfactory stakeholder a sum of money, and this gives him credit with the layer. A regular clearing house has been established in San Francisco, where bettors may establish their credit. Only those known to the layers are able to wager. It will thus be seen that the new system provides facilities only for regular and systematic bettors. The impossibility of memorising all bets is the great' obstacle in the way of free betting. The law against recording bets is only ostensibly obeyed. Whenever a bet is made, the layer calls out in a loud voice the name of the bettor, the horse, and the amount wagered. A runner stationed on the outskirts of the crowd scurries away to a far part of the betting ring and states the particulars to a man with a book, in which the bet is registered. Another layer carries' a book of cigarette papers in the palm of his hand, and with the stub of a pencil records his wagers therein while pretending to roll a cigarette. Still others endeavour to write the wagers on a blotter in a capacious overcoat! pocket. It would need the memory of a Macaulay or the system of a Loisette to get along without some such aid. Notwithstanding the installation of the memory system, in California the antibookmaking law lias proved a sore blow to horse facing. The regular winter season has just opened at Oakland, a suburb of San Francisco. The quality of the horses running is far below that of former years, and the size of the crowds is about one-third what other years have shown. The principal reason the Legislature had for prohibiting race track gambling was that San Francisco became studded with “pool rooms,” where thousands of young men and boys, and even girls, were in the habit of gambling every race day.